Teacher Spotlight: Mrs. Torres

Mrs. Torres, the new AP Physics teacher, is excited to return to an in-person school year. Although safety guidelines for COVID-19 remain in place, she hopes that West High’s “COVID protocols keep us safe and healthy.” Photo courtesy of Mrs. Torres.

Mrs. Torres, the new AP Physics teacher, is excited to return to an in-person school year. Although safety guidelines for COVID-19 remain in place, she hopes that West High’s “COVID protocols keep us safe and healthy.” Photo courtesy of Mrs. Torres.

Dominic Herrera, Staff Writer

 Lindy Torres (previously Ms. McCulloch) has been teaching physics at West High School for nine years, but the 2021-2022 school year has brought changes for her as she takes on teaching AP Physics. 

   Mrs. Torres reflected on the unique aspects of physics. In particular, she described “not starting the year talking about very abstract things like atoms or the Big Bang Theory, which are very hard to play with in the classroom. Instead I’m talking about moving objects, so we’re playing with battery-powered cars and tennis balls. We’re designing catapults and making math tell us important things.”

    In regard to being back in-person, Mrs. Torres expressed excitement for “hands-on labs instead of virtual ones. I also get to interact with students more organically. Best of all, students get to talk to each other now too.”  Despite some of the benefits that came with teaching virtually ― “wearing PJ pants, being paperless, not having to teach in my mask” ― Mrs. Torres described the return to in-person school as a positive change.

   She is also optimistic about this school year, working on creating an “engaging curriculum for AP Physics that prepares students for success on the exam in May.” AP Physics students will be taking the AP exam on May 12, by which they will be expected to demonstrate a college-level mastery of physics.

   Fellow staff members at West have nothing but positivity to share about Mrs. Torres. Science teacher Mrs. Chambers served on the interview committee during the hiring process and said, “From the very get-go what impressed all of us was her breadth of knowledge. She is credentialed in multiple fields of science.” Additionally, she praised Mrs. Torres for her “serenity about her and a calm way of teaching that shows you that she is in command of what she is supposed to teach…I admire her for her insightful ways of making connections with students.”

   Many students of Mrs. Torres also had  positive experiences from her class. Former student Radley Drouillard (12) explained, “She was always very hands on, she was very good at explaining things…she made Earth Science really understandable, especially for someone who’s not too good at science.” 

   As the school year progresses, Mrs. Torres will continue to contribute her teaching to the West campus: “I hope that we learn how to interact with people in person again, so that we can strengthen our school community.”