This year, a total of 17 new faculty have joined Jesuit Dallas’ mission of creating men for and with others. Spread out across all departments, these new teachers may teach different classes and come from different backgrounds. However, they are united by their desire to inspire academic and spiritual growth in their students.
One of these new teachers is Ms. Sarah Evans, a physics teacher in the Science Department. The Science Department at Jesuit seeks to inspire in students a desire to explore the beauty of the natural world and its processes. Hailing from Oklahoma City, Ms. Evans has moved south for her teaching career. I am fortunate to have Ms. Evans as my physics teacher, so I decided to interview her about teaching at Jesuit, her interests, and what she looks forward to in her first year.
To start off, what first drew you to Jesuit to teach physics?
I really like how all the students are hardworking and inquisitive, which is great to have in science. The other thing that brought me to Jesuit is I like how Jesuit education focuses more on physics because for me physics is also about life and I really appreciate that everyone here shares that passion.
Have you always been interested in physics?
So I’ve always liked science and math, for me, I didn’t really know what physics was really about until college. I fell in love with physics in college and studied it all four years.
What is your favorite subsection of physics?
My favorite part of physics is nuclear physics, I got involved in that by doing research between my junior and senior years of college. It’s fascinating to me because of its mixture of chemistry and physics.
What was your college experience like?
College was great. I attended the University of Dallas, which is a small Catholic liberal arts college in Irving, TX. This was great for me because I was able to develop close relationships with my peers and really get to hear about their experiences.
You talked about the smaller college you went to, do you prefer smaller classrooms whilst teaching?
That was also one of the things that drew me to Jesuit because they have smaller classes, so I could get one-on-one teaching experiences with my students because that’s how I feel learning is achieved. It’s not just about “can I write down this,” it’s more about “can I build a closer relationship to expand my knowledge?”
As a teacher, what’s the experience like teaching different classes like on level vs AP?
It’s been fun, I feel like each class has its own personality, even among classes that are learning the same curriculum. I really enjoyed having to teach two different curriculums.
I’ve heard that you’re interested in playing ultimate frisbee, is that something you picked up in college?
Yeah for sure. I started playing it in my freshman year at college and fell in love with it pretty fast. I was really into tennis but the week before I moved into college they paved over the tennis courts, and so I was like “sweet time for a new hobby.”
When you came to Jesuit, was there already a frisbee club established or did you start that with somebody else?
I’ve been told that the ultimate frisbee club has ebbed and flowed [at Jesuit], but Garrett Spears ’24 at the end of last year restarted it. It’s been fun hearing about his experience with Mr. Saroni with the club with year.
How has managing the club been so far this year? Is it more student organized with the practices, tournaments, and schedule?
It’s very much a student thing, Mr. Saroni and I want to make sure that students are having fun and getting what they want out of it. So stay tuned for what that looks like this year! Right now we’re mostly just meeting during community time.
What are you looking forward to the most for the rest of the school year?
I am looking forward to seeing how my students pick up on my love of physics so I can share that passion with them.
Conclusion
Ms. Evans, alongside the other new faculty, has arrived at Jesuit with a passion not just for physics and ultimate frisbee, but also to inspire in her students a profound passion for what they are studying. If you see her in the hallway, make sure to say hello and make her feel welcome!
Stay tuned to The Roundup for more news about Jesuit’s new teachers!
