In response to this growth, and as a means of creating much-needed flexibility within our Middle
School curriculum and schedule, the School is adding two new part-time positions for 2011-2012 and
beyond.
The first position is an Associate Spanish Teacher for Grades 7 and 8. Students in Grades PK-6 will
continue to receive regular Spanish instruction from longtime St. Andrew's Spanish instructor Liz
Frischhertz. Beginning in Grade 7, students will have the option of pursuing Mandarin Chinese with
Chinese instructor Qing Yang or continuing Spanish instruction with new Associate Spanish Teacher
Beth Nazar.
Mrs. Nazar comes to St. Andrew's following an accomplished career of Spanish instruction and
tutoring at the Middle School, High School, and adult levels. A graduate of Newman High School,
Tufts University (B.A., Major in International Relations and Minor in Latin American Studies), and the
University of New Orleans (M.A., Romance Languages: Spanish Linguistics and Culture), Mrs. Nazar
has been a freelance Spanish tutor and translator here in New Orleans, has served as the Coordinator of
the Intensive English Language Program at UNO, and was the Assistant Dean at Lincoln University
College in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The second new position at St. Andrew's is an Associate PE Teacher. As a means of continuing to
develop our Athletic Program and to fulfill our commitment to offering first-rate instruction in a
nurturing environment with a limited number of students, we are pleased to expand the size of our
Athletic Department staff through this new position.
Patty Strikmiller, our new Associate PE Teacher, comes to St. Andrew's after conducting over
twenty years of Health Promotion Research for Elementary and Middle Schools at LSU and Tulane
University. She has co-authored fourteen publications in peer-reviewed journals and has conducted
numerous local and national training workshops for PE Teachers. In addition to her significant
research and training experience, Mrs. Strikmiller has previously served as an Elementary PE Teacher
and Coach at Family Christian Academy in Baton Rouge and at the Academy of the Sacred Heart here
in New Orleans. She holds a B.S. in Physical Education from UNO and an M.S. in Physical Education
from LSU.
In addition to further lowering the School's already impressive student:teacher ratios, the addition of
these two new positions greatly enhances the School's ability to offer an age-appropriate and flexible
curriculum and schedule for all of our students. For the first time in School history, the School can
offer three foreign language classes and two PE classes simultaneously, greatly improving the schedule
and curriculum for all students and faculty.
Increased Middle School Academic Specialization: I am also pleased to announce that, as a means
of enhancing the School's vertical curricular integration and providing greater academic focus and
high-school preparation in the core subjects of English and history, Allan Woodard will focus his
teaching solely on Grades 6-8 history and Nancy Jaynes will focus her teaching solely on Grades 6-8
English. Thus, for 2011-2012 and beyond, we will have full departmentalization of English, history,
and math in Grades 6-8 and of science in Grades 5-8.
With these exciting changes for 2011-2012 also comes the news of some bittersweet departures of St.
Andrew's faculty.