When Monica Welch was a student at High Point High School, a member of the class of 1996, she said her day began around 8 a.m. and didn’t end until after 6 p.m. because of volleyball or basketball practice or her writing for the school newspaper.
Her days look very similar now, she said, as a teacher at High Point in Beltsville. Between teaching Advanced Placement English for juniors, helping students put together the yearbook and the school newspaper, and running a literary club, she still spends about 11 hours a day at the school.
“A lot of teachers just do what they need to get by,” said Laura Kelley of College Park, 17, a senior at High Point who has taken four classes with Welch during her high school career. “She actually likes her job. She puts a lot of effort into it.”
In January, Welch was named Prince George’s County teacher of the month, selected by High Point’s principal, Sandra Jimenez, for her work at the school.
“[Monica] is this quiet, unassuming person that does absolutely everything, and it all goes off flawlessly,” Jimenez said. “She never goes around tooting her own horn, so she’s this unsung hero at High Point.”
Welch said she enjoyed her time at High Point so much that she knew she wanted to come back. When she was offered a job in the English department in 2000, she said she didn’t hesitate.
“I know it sounds cliche, but I want to give back to the school that gave me such a good experience,” said Welch, who lives in Howard County.
Welch’s mother and father were both teachers in Prince George’s County public schools. They met at Bladensburg High School, where they both taught. In 1985, when Welch was 8 years old, her father started working at High Point. Welch said she remembers visiting her father at the school and going to athletic events.
“If you think about it, I’ve really grown up here,” said Welch. “It’s a second home.”
Welch played volleyball and basketball at High Point, and returned to coach in 1999 while she was still pursuing her bachelor’s degree in English and English education at the University of Maryland, College Park. She gave up coaching when the school needed a yearbook sponsor.
“When I started working [at High Point], some of my teachers were still here,” Welch said. “Those were my role models. In other professions, how often do you get to work with your role models?”
One of those role models is High Point vice principal Shirley Diggs, who was Welch’s seventh-grade teacher at Hyattsville Middle School and high school volleyball coach.
“Even back when she was on the team, there were some athletes that I had to watch [for attendance and academics], and she became a friend to them,” Diggs said. “As the team captain, they would trust her, and it kept the team tight. So even back then, she was something of a teacher.”
Welch’s philosophy in the classroom is informed by her experience as a student.
“I knew I wanted to be a teacher since middle school,” Welch said. “In middle school was when I first felt aware of what my teachers were doing, and how it was affecting my learning.”
Now that it’s her turn at the front of the classroom, Welch said she tries to make lessons memorable and engaging.
“She keeps you active,” said Edna Odae, 17, a senior who has taken three years of newspaper class and AP English with Welch, adding that the class does projects and skits, and discusses current events to learn about the news business. “It’s not the kind of class where you just sit down and write.”
Welch said she has never imagined herself in any job but teaching.
“It’s like it was meant to be, because why else would I have had such amazing teachers growing up?” Welch said. “As a teacher, you can change kids’ path based on how much time and effort you put in. You can teach them that they’re worth it.”
hnunn@gazette.net
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