Every class starts with “¡Hola chicos!” and ends with an “¡Hasta mañana!” Learning a new language is an endless deed and requires a brilliant teacher to keep the subject fun and interesting.
From teaching to directing to advising, a Spanish teacher’s job is never-ending. Down the language hallway at Revere High School is the classroom of one of the most prominent members of the school.
Katie Ryan has taught both grammar and her love for the Spanish language for the past thirteen years. Her hard work and passion for the subject have paid off, as she is not only the chair of the department, but an adjunct professor at the University of Akron and adviser of the Key Club at RHS. Key Club is an organization that offers students the chance to give back to their community by volunteering.
Ryan works hard every day to ensure her students are cared for and get an education that fosters an adoration for other languages and cultures. One of her main goals as a teacher is to inspire her students to become global citizens and have an international perspective. She does this by sharing her passion for the Spanish language.
“My hope is to always just share with my students my love of language and appreciation of other languages and other cultures. To try to help expanding [their] horizons and in just becoming more well rounded and hopefully inspiring the same love and passion I feel for Spanish into [them],” Ryan said.
Ryan has taught at Revere for seven years and has many responsibilities around the world languages department, one of them being department chair. With this title, she must work with other language teachers and administrators, including those who teach at the middle school, to consistently update their materials to provide the best possible education for language students. This year, the department is making alterations to the curriculum.
“This is a very unique year . . . we are renewing our curriculum. So that means that in the very near future, we will be switching textbook series. So we will no longer be using the Avancemos [textbook series] say, for example, for Spanish,” Ryan said.
Ryan spoke about her adoration for her job, the factors that make it so unique and why she always strives to participate in the Revere community. The colorful commentary from her students, and the various new people she has the ability to meet through Key Club, ensure that no two days are the same.
“I’m very blessed that I have such great students. They make my job fun, they make each day fun for me to come to work and do what I do, which is something that I love. And the fact that I get to work with such great students is just kind of the icing on the cake, really,” Ryan said.
Key Club is an impactful organization not only at Revere, but all throughout the country. At Revere, it functions as an after-school club that meets on the second Tuesday of each month, offering volunteer opportunities for those interested. Volunteering provides not only an opportunity to give back to the community, but it has recently become a graduation requirement, making the club even more important.
“[Students] want to help. Just sometimes we don’t know how. [They think], ‘I’d love to volunteer, I want to help other people. But how do I do that?’ So with Key Club, I work to make connections and relationships with local businesses or local organizations, like the Akron Children’s Museum,” Ryan said.
Key Club is an international organization that gives students the opportunity to take on different leadership roles and give back to their communities through volunteering. Today, it is an established club at RHS and has many members. Though the club is mostly student-led, the adviser does play a large role in running the club. From making connections to planning events, Ryan is always responsible. Ryan is always looking for fun ways to contribute to the community. She comments on her passion for volunteering and why she believes all Revere students should look into volunteering.
“I personally love volunteering and giving back to others and helping others out when I can. And I think it’s a great opportunity for our students to give them opportunities to volunteer, because, I mean, I think at the root of it all, we’re all good people. All of our students are good people,” Ryan said.
Bane Thurman, a Key Club representative, commented on his experience working with Ryan as one of the leaders of the club. Key Club offers a mix of student and teacherleadership; both work closely together to ensure opportunities for all.
“I essentially just just represent the upperclassmen. At Key Club, I’m just sort of like a figurehead. One of the figureheads for the actual class, as far as a leader,” Thurman said.
The connections that Ryan makes throughout the Akron community come into play when determining the places Key Club will volunteer. Thurman comments on his experiences with such activities.
“[Every] Memorial Day in Key Club, we’re going to sell flowers . . . And then every December, this is probably my personal favorite activity, we do . . . a senior citizen brunch (Christmas Tea). So essentially, we go to the Richfield Senior Center, and we sort of all dress up as waiters, and we serve brunch to the senior citizens and that’s a lot of fun. I think this year will be my fifth or sixth year doing it,” Thurman said.
Though the club is mostly student-led, the adviser is a vital part of the organization. Without Ryan to help run the club, the dynamic would be very different.
“She helps us because . . . she’s always keeping a positive attitude, and she’s always making sure that every single activity has enough volunteers, is coordinated enough. Ms. Ryan is sort of like the glue in this entire system, she sort of keeps everything together,” Thurman said.
Though all take on some level of leadership and responsibility, the adviser generally will put the most work into the club, as it is their responsibility to secure events at which the students can volunteer. Neha Yadavalli, the secretary of Key Club, spoke on her experience with it as a representative, and how Ryan impacts the club.
“[Key Club is] definitely a mix of both [student and teacher leadership]. Ms. Ryan really does give us the opportunity to lead and take charge and initiative. But we couldn’t do it without her either. So, I’d say it’s more of a joint effort,” Yadavalli said.
The impact of Key Club is exponential. One good action reverberates throughout the community, leading to a better world. Yadavalli gives her opinion as to why all students should think of joining, and how Key Club can impact everyone individually.
“You’re only in high school once, and you only live once. So do what you can to help in your community. And you don’t have to solve world hunger, or start up this big, elaborate nonprofit. You can do something as small as joining Key Club, volunteering, [and] getting volunteer hours, but also building community connections. Key Club’s, the perfect way to do that,” Yadavalli said.
Ryan is an advocate for volunteering and learning. The time and effort she puts into her work is seen from miles away. It shows her love for her job and her genuine desire to see her students grow. Her best advice is this:
“Do something in your future career in your future studies that you feel passionate about doing, something that you love, and going with that passion and love that you feel for whatever the field might be. Whether it’s science, engineering, writing, because that is a really great place to be in when you have to go to work every day. But going to a place that you actually enjoy, and get meaning, and get fulfillment in, is what I would wish for all of my students to find someday,” Ryan said.
