I was born in Tsingtao, China as an only child. I am from the era of the Chinese One-Child Policy, which means I have no siblings.
Mandarin is my 1st language; English is my second.
Moved to Seattle when I was 11. We lived around a lot of areas in the Puget Sound, but I enjoyed the city of Mill Creek the most.
I have 2 kittens named Mafi and Mok. Mafi Mok means “without brain” in Arabic. I graduated from high school in Bahrain in the Middle East. Moving back to Seattle, I attended the U of W.
Travelling is something I love to do. I’ve traveled to most Asian countries and parts of Europe. The top travel destination for me is South America.
Memories for me of Chinese New Year include huge family feasts, fireworks (we could set off at home), red envelopes filled with money, ceremonies and different foods.
Greetings Mountain Lions! I am excited to be joining you at Meany Middle School this fall. I have been teaching middle school social studies for the last three years in Kent and I am looking forward to teaching students who are my neighbors in the area (I live in First Hill).
A little bit about Mr. Simpson: I grew up in Ohio and joined the US Army after graduating from high school. I was in stationed and Joint Base Lewis McCord (near Tacoma) and spent a year in Iraq. After my enlistment ended I decided to stay in the Pacific Northwest and co-founded a veterans’ resource center called Coffee Strong and received my Bachelors of Arts and Masters in Teaching at the Evergreen State College. My emphasis was on history and political economy and I am a huge history nerd. An interesting fact about me is that I am the first in my family to get my Bachelors degree, let alone a Masters degree!
When it comes to teaching history, I believe it is fundamental for students to not only study history for its anthropological lessons but to also view themselves as active and crucial participants in the making and writing of history. Prompted by my own experiences as an Iraq War veteran and later as a social justice activist, I have learned and continue to believe, that history is in the making every day. If the newest generations of students realize how history is relevant to present, students can become the world’s next and most influential leaders.
My name is Lisa St George, and I teach French and Spanish. I’m very happy to be here at Meany Middle School!
I attended the University of WA for undergrad, studying English and French, then Seattle University for a Master’s in Teaching. In between those two degrees, I took language classes in Paris at the Alliance Française, and in addition to living for a short while in France and the French-speaking part of Switzerland, I have traveled widely. In between I also took some university classes for Spanish, and part of my travels included living with a family in Spain. I love learning languages!
I was previously at a middle school in Shoreline for five years, teaching both French and English/Language Arts; after more than 15 years in the private sector working as the Director of a small company that promotes children’s social and emotional well-being, I am happy to have returned to the classroom.
I am so happy to be here at my neighborhood school! I have lived in the Madrona neighborhood for more than 27 years, and my children attended Seattle Public Schools – MLK, Stevens, Lowell, Washington, and Garfield. In my free time I enjoy reading, traveling, cooking, hiking and biking, cross-country skiing, and running half-marathons.
