The new school year brings three new teachers to the Diamond Bar High School campus. Beatrice Casagran, Barbara Vanderheyden, and Eva Enrique have officially become Brahmas, and have much to contribute to the school.
Casagran not only teaches English but also instructs all levels of drama. After spending 13 years teaching at the Ontario Montclair district as a middle school teacher, Casagran decided to transition to teaching high school students. “I was teaching mostly language arts and a little theater. I wanted a position where I got to teach theater most of the time,” Casagran said, describing her previous experience.
Although she started focusing on theater at a young age, Casagran began to enjoy theater mainly in high school. It continues to remain a big part of her life as Casagran now runs a nonprofit theater company outside of school with her daughter and husband.
“It was one of the reasons why I wanted to come to school. Theater was the one class that kept me wanting to come back,” she said.
Working her first full time job, Barbara Vanderheyden is teaching Special Education and English. She previously was a substitute teacher for two years and a student teacher three times. “I thought I wanted to be an AP English teacher,” Vanderheyden stated. “But then I found out I really liked teaching Special Ed.”
To prepare to become a substitute teacher, Vanderheyden attended instructive special education classes. It was through those courses that she found her passion for teaching Special Education and consequently earned her credentials.
Aside from teaching, Vanderheyden also enjoys traveling as a hobby. She has lived in Germany, having minored in the German language in college. She applied for a teaching job at DBHS when she was in London for the summer.
“The school is fantastic,” she said. “I’m just beyond happy.”
Eva Enrique, formerly a Marine Biology teacher in North Carolina and Florida, is DBHS’s new Environmental Science teacher. Enrique also worked as a sustainability consultant for a period of time. Through the East San Gabriel Valley Regional Occupational Program, Enrique was assigned to teach Environmental Science at Diamond Bar.
Mostly educating juniors and seniors, Enrique feels that it is essential for students to learn about the environmental conditions of Earth before they step out into adulthood. She believes that knowledge of Environmental Science will be beneficial for upperclassmen as they make important decisions in the near future. “People tend to be more reactive instead of proactive,” Enrique says. “A lot of environmental problems could be solved if kids could be taught early on to help society. Teaching them prevents further harm.”
BRAND NEW BRAHMAS – Enrique, Vanderheyden and Casagran (left to right), bring their enthusiasm and their knowledge to educate DBHS students.
