Our Faculty Focus subject this issue is the new Upper School Spanish teacher, Ms. Vicky Bolivar! You can find her at the end of C Hall (where Mrs. Fererro taught until her retirement last year) or on the volleyball court coaching the JV volleyball team. This year, Ms. Bolivar is teaching Spanish 1, 2, 3, and 4. She says, “my goal this year is to inspire my students to love the Spanish language and culture,” and she is “looking forward to learning new things, meeting new people, achieving academic goals, and participating in extracurricular activities.”
Ms. Bolivar is originally from Caracas, Venezuela, but–after coming to the US in 1994, which she calls her greatest accomplishment–grew up in Saint Petersburg, Florida, and now calls Tarboro home. She graduated from ECU with a Bachelor’s degree in Hispanic Studies and a minor in Business Administration. Showing her love of learning, she is currently working on her Master’s degree in Hispanic Studies. An experienced educator, she previously taught at Edgecombe Community College and, more recently, Tarboro High School, where she worked for 8 years. She has always taught Spanish classes, but this is her first year teaching freshmen. When I asked Mrs. Bolivar what she thinks is different about RMA compared to other schools she’s taught at, she expressed that at other places, she was a teacher teaching people who don’t necessarily want to learn, but here she is more of a facilitator guiding a conversation amongst individuals who have a passion for learning.
Via Edgecombe Community College, Ms. Bolivar also teaches with the Upward Bound Program at St. Augustine University. This program gives academic resources to underserved students who want to further their education outside of what is available to them. Ms. Bolivar teaches 11th and 12th graders about her culture and language.
In addition to loving formal education, Ms. Bolivar is a lover of life and new experiences. This school this year, she is most excited to learn new things and participate in extracurricular activities. With her children–Hector (28) and Michael (16), who attends the Early College as a junior–she loves to travel and “explore the world”; she adds, “Everything I do, I do it with passion. I love dancing, exploring new places, eating different food, and meeting new people.” I think we can all learn from her curious and adventurous nature!
Students have already realized what a fantastic addition to our RMA family Ms. Bolivar is. Vann Davis, a senior and French 4 student, says, “She has a true passion for teaching and is very organized.” Being organized, though, doesn’t mean that Ms. Bolivar is rigid in her teaching or coaching. JV Volleyball player Jayme Kitchin says, “One of my favorite things about Ms. Bolivar is that she is always willing to try new things on the volleyball court.” We are so lucky to have her with us and look forward to seeing the work Ms. Bolivar does with her current and future students.
