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With the start of a new year at the Gatton Academy comes several new personalities to the staff. We are excited about these passionate and dedicated individuals who have joined our team. They come to us from different parts of the country with a host of varied experiences. Over the last few weeks, the staff has had a chance to get to know each other. It’s now your chance to meet the new faces behind the Academy. Each day this week, we’ll profile a new staff member.

Academy Avatars sat down with each new staff member to post ten questions in hopes of getting to know them better. Avatars came up with five questions that we asked each person. Each Avatar also posed five unique questions of their own choosing to ask as well.

Up next is Residential Counselor Laura Huff.

Interview by Sydney Combs, Academy Avatar

1. Why did you decide to join the Gatton Academy staff?

I had been part of the Gatton Academy staff for two years as a night clerk before applying for a residential counselor position. I decided to go for the position because I wanted to stay with the Academy after graduating college. I love working here and love the atmosphere. It seemed like the perfect fit for me.

2. Where did you attend college and what subjects did you study?

I attended Western Kentucky University and studied English with a concentration in creative writing. I did droadcasting as a minor and did most of the Asian Studies courses as well as studied Japanese for the last three years of my college education.

3. What are you looking forward to the most about the coming school year?

I’m looking forward to getting started and getting into a routine first of all. I’m also looking forward to getting to know not only the girls on my floor but the other students as well.

4. What do you think makes the Gatton Academy a unique educational experience?

There is no other high school in Kentucky like Gatton Academy. It’s a place where students from all sorts of different places, backgrounds, and cultures can come together and work toward their dreams. They learn more about the world, especially being on a college campus, where the atmosphere is entirely different.

5. What contributions do you hope to make to life at the Gatton Academy?

I hope to bring together people from different groups and different floors and to introduce some new things to the students that they may not have otherwise tried.

6. Do you have any unique hobbies?

I watch a LOT of Japanese dramas. In the past three years, I’ve seen over 250. They’re just so addicting and so many new ones keep coming out.

7. If you had a couple of hours to waste in an airport, what would you be doing?

Since I rarely travel, airports are a novelty for me. Whenever I do somehow get to be in an airport, I love just walking around looking at the stores and the strangely expensive things they sell there. It fascinates me that you can buy so much stuff in an airport.

8. What clubs are you interested in starting or sponsoring this year?

I think I’m going to be the Japanese Culture Club sponsor this year, but other than that, I’m free. If anyone has a club for which they need a sponsor, then come see me.

9. Why did you choose to major in your field?

I chose Creative Writing because I got to write. Writing stories is something I’ve done since childhood when I learned how to write, and it was all I had ever wanted to do up until I got in college. Things have changed a bit, but I still love writing and loved being able to just sit in class and write a random story.

10. In a fierce battle, who would win: Unicorns or Zombies, and why?

Hmm…unicorns have the advantage of being alive and faster, but zombies are already dead and develop superhuman strength to rip things apart once they are undead. Definitely zombies that would rip apart the unicorns.

With the start of a new year at the Gatton Academy comes several new personalities to the staff. We are excited about these passionate and dedicated individuals who have joined our team. They come to us from different parts of the country with a host of varied experiences. Over the last few weeks, the staff has had a chance to get to know each other. It’s now your chance to meet the new faces behind the Academy. Each day this week, we’ll profile a new staff member.

Academy Avatars sat down with each new staff member to post ten questions in hopes of getting to know them better. Avatars came up with five questions that we asked each person. Each Avatar also posed five unique questions of their own choosing to ask as well.

Up first is Residential Counselor Ian Oliver.

Interview by Brandon Kerr, Academy Avatar

1) Why did you decide to join the Gatton Academy staff?

I knew coming out of college I wanted to work with students in a college environment. Having attended a residential high school for gifted children myself, the Gatton Academy seemed a natural fit.

2) Where did you attend college and what subjects did you study?

I attended college at Clemson University (in South Carolina) and studied Physics and Astronomy.

3) What are you looking forward to the most about the coming school year?

I’m looking forward to getting to know the students and see what you do with the opportunity you’ve been presented. I’ve heard and read a lot of amazing things students have done in the past or are working on now.

4) What do you think makes the Gatton Academy a unique educational experience?

I don’t know of any other school that provides so much support and autonomy in allowing students to pursue their academic interests.

5) What contributions do you hope to make to life at the Gatton Academy?

I’d like to be a valuable resource for the students, and maybe share some outside experience.

6) What’s your favorite type of foreign food?

Burritos. Burritos count as foreign right?

7) If you could travel to any country, where would you go, and why?

England. A lifetime of English sentiment means traveling to England always feels like coming home.

8) How did you first find out about the Academy?

Representatives from the academy were at a residential life conference I attended.

9) What is your favorite TV show/movie?

I’m not much of a TV/Movie guy, but probably The Daily Show for TV and Grave of the Fireflies for movie.

10) If you could have any animal as a pet, which would it be, and why?

I was asked this the other day in an icebreaker and answered “Goliath Frog,” but honestly I think I dog is pretty hard to beat.

Western Kentucky University, The Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky, is seeking applicants for two Residential Counselors.  These positions are 10-month.  These positions reports to the Residence Life Coordinator.  Anticipated start date is August 1, 2010.

This is an extraordinary opportunity for professionals who wish to make a true difference in the lives of young people who are gifted and talented and in the future of the Commonwealth.  In the fall of 2007, the Gatton Academy opened as the nation’s 14th state residential school with a focus on mathematics and science.  Located on the campus of Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, KY, the program provides extraordinary academic and research opportunities for Kentucky High School juniors and seniors who are academically talented and interested in careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.  One hundred and twenty-eight students will earn at least sixty hours of college credit while completing their High School Diploma in both a residential and peer-supported living/learning environment.

Responsibilities:

The following duties are customary for this position, but are not to be construed as all-inclusive.  Duties may be added, deleted and assigned based on management discretion and institutional needs:

  • Creates a safe, healthy, and nurturing living/learning environment on assigned wing of the building
  • Lives on student wing in the Academy and serves as a role model in all areas of personal, relational, and academic life
  • Develops and implements educational, cultural, social and recreational programming to promote social growth and involvement in the community
  • Intervenes and/or refers student to appropriate source during emotional or physical crises
  • Monitors and documents student progress
  • Communicates frequently with parents
  • Staffs the front desk during assigned shifts
  • Serves as a student advisor for clubs/activities
  • Other duties as assigned

Required Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s Degree
  • Experience with residential life
  • Must reside at the Academy
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills

Desired/Preferred Qualifications:

  • Experience with gifted students

Salary Grade:  105

Expected Salary Range:  $22,500.00 -$25,000.00 annually, plus housing

Applications for employment will be accepted electronically only. Interested candidates must submit a cover letter describing qualifications and experience, a current resume, and names, addresses, and daytime phone numbers of three professional references using the on-line application process.  Transcripts may be requested at time of interview. Please refer to the following website to apply:  http://asaweb.wku.edu/wkujobs.  Reference requisition number S2603.   For further assistance contact (270) 745-5934.  To ensure full consideration please submit all application materials by May 31, 2010.  Position will remain open until filled.

All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply including women, minority men and women, persons with disabilities, and disabled veterans.

Western Kentucky University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.

Ami KarlageWith the start of a new year at the Gatton Academy comes several new personalities to the staff. We are excited about these passionate and dedicated individuals who have joined our team. They come to us from different parts of the country with a host of varied experiences. Over the last few weeks, the staff has had a chance to get to know each other. It’s now your chance to meet the new faces behind the Academy. Each day this week, we’ll profile a new staff member.

Academy Avatars sat down with each new staff member to post ten questions in hopes of getting to know them better. Avatars came up with five questions that we asked each person. Each Avatar also posed five unique questions of their own choosing to ask as well.

Up next is Residential Counselor Rachel Stewart.

Interview by Katie Rush, Academy Avatar

1.  Why did you decide to join the Gatton Academy staff?

I wanted to be a part of the Academy because I really enjoy being a mentor and a role model. I could do that many places, I guess, but I chose the Academy in particular because I enjoy math and science and working with gifted youths.

2.  Where did you attend college and what subjects did you study?

I graduated from Western Kentucky University with a degree in Music Education.

3.  What are you looking forward to the most about the coming school year?

I’m looking forward to meeting and working with the new juniors and returning seniors!

4.  What do you think makes the Gatton Academy a unique educational experience?

For Kentucky, it is very unique to be in high school and college simultaneously. Also, it is very unusual to attend a residential high school where your classmates are also your roommates.  I think these make the Academy one-of-a-kind and a very special experience.

5.  What contributions do you hope to make to life at the Gatton Academy?

Since I was identified as gifted, I feel that I can relate to gifted students and all that being gifted entails. Also, I am excited to be an RC so I can help students with the high school to college transition.

6.  If you were an astronaut, to which planet would you like to travel?

Pluto, since it is the farthest away from the Earth and the Sun. I would like to see what the galaxy looks like from that totally different perspective. Pluto is still a planet to me!

7.  What are your hobbies and interests outside of being an Academy RC?

I love to read, and I’m a little bit obsessed with the German language. I play clarinet and piano, and sing, in addition to just hanging out with friends and making music.

8.  Who are your favorite authors?

C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkein, and Jane Austen

9.  What song could describe your life?

Probably “Bonjour” from Beauty and the Beast, because I’ve never been content with staying in the same place and not pursuing new experiences and adventures.

10.  What is one of your favorite quotations?

“Many that live deserve death. Some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then be not too eager to deal out death in the name of justice, fearing for your own safety. Even the wise cannot see all ends.” Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring