Kiera Valente ’13 | Staff Writer

Going to school there are many things to be expected, but very few students expect to see parents, aunts and uncles, and especially not as their teachers.

“I come from a family of teachers,” English teacher Meaghan Dunham said. “My father was my own teacher, so I wasn’t worried about Donovan (Dunham ’16) coming here. To us it is very normal.”

Several students at South have a parent or relative as a teacher, said Dunham, especially in this year’s Freshman class.

“It is actually really great,” John Bornoty ’16 said of having his mother at the high school. “Whenever I need anything I can just stick my head into the classroom. She is always prepared with supplies or food if I’m hungry.”

Most of these students have been coming to South for so long that they already know their way around before becoming a student, said Math teacher Elizabeth Bornoty.

“He’s (John) been here growing up,” Elizabeth Bornoty said. “He knows all the department members and was comfortable getting around.”

Balance is one major difficulty with having a parent as a teacher, said Biology teacher James Adams.

“Currently I’m the only AP Biology teacher, so if Hope (Adams ’16) decided to take it I would be her teacher,” Adams said. “We’d have to set some ground rules, like if she had any questions she would have to ask me while we were at school not at home.”

Attending the school that a parent is teaching at is one thing but being taught by a parent is very different, said John Bornoty.

“I don’t think it would be weird having her as a teacher,” John Bornoty said. “I think it would actually be a cool experience.”

Parents are not the only family members students can have as teachers, said Adams.

“Teaching my niece is not awkward,” Adams said. “I just asked her to call me Mr. Adams in class, and whatever she (and my other niece) want in the hall. If she isn’t doing well in class hopefully she is more comfortable coming to ask for help.”

Getting used to calling a teacher by their last name seems to be a problem for many students with relatives as teachers, said Elizabeth Clevenger ’13.

“At first I had a really hard time sticking with Mrs. (Shelly) Rothenbuhler I always wanted to say Aunt Shelly,” Clevenger said.

For many teachers who have kids who are still in middle school but will be attending South seeing how parents and students interact now gives them insight, said Psychology teacher DeEtte Nardone said.

Nardone’s daughter will be attending South next year along with Troy Glasser’s daughter and Adams’ sons, she said.

“I’m not too worried about her. There are a lot of teachers’ kids coming here next year,” Nardone said. “I’m going to try very hard to let her develop her own sense of self here at South.”