Elizabeth Eck ’22
Several wonderful new teachers to the Foreign Language department have joined the Oak Knoll Community! Although many of them play different roles in the Oak Knoll community, they have a strong connection to world languages and are excited to be joining us at our school. Elinor Takenaga, the current director of the library, is one of the newest Spanish teachers here. She teaches one section of Spanish 2, and wants her passion for the Spanish language to shine through her teaching. One of her favorite things about Oak Knoll is the unique sense of community that she’s experienced so far, which makes it a “home away from home” for her. One thing that many people may not know about Mrs. Takenaga is that she can actually speak some basic Japanese. Her Spanish skills come in handy when speaking Japanese, as there’s a phonetic advantage that Spanish speakers have in the language. She says, “Learning additional languages can boost your brain while it also opens your eyes to the world!”
Another new teacher here is Laura Reinhardt, who, while she only teaches Spanish at Oak Knoll, is certified to teach Italian. She says, “My favorite part of Oak Knoll is my wonderful colleagues in the World Language Department.” When she is not teaching, she enjoys flamenco dancing.
Kelly Dun is another new Spanish teacher in the Foreign Language department. While she is currently the director of Enrollment Management and Financial Aid, she also teaches an 8th grade Spanish class. She first started teaching Spanish after graduating college, before transitioning to an admissions and financial aid career. But Spanish is a major passion of hers, due to the Mexican foreign exchange program at her high school in Massachusetts. Mrs. Dun ended up spending a month in Mexico with her foreign exchange student, and it all built from there! As for Oak Knoll, she says, “My favorite thing about Oak Knoll is the people!” She is glad to be participating in in-person learning, despite the challenges of plexiglass and masks, because it allows her to reap the benefits of learning from her students and growing as a teacher. Hopefully we all have the chance to meet these teachers and learn from them, even if they don’t teach your language!