TOWAMENCIN – Bright smiles and youthful energy are bountiful in room F-125 at North Penn High School where Miss Laura Anthony, the new 11^th grade health teacher, brings a great love and drive towards health and education this 2015-2016 school year. Although this is her first year teaching high school students,  Anthony also teaches 9th grade health, and 7^th, 8^th, and 9th grade gym courses at Pennfield Middle School.

For Anthony, she certainly recognizes that there is a difference between middle and high school students.

“I’m not going to lie, I was pretty intimidated at first…I [didn’t know] how it was going to be,” admitted Anthont.  However unsure  she may have been, she seems to be fitting in well already.

Anthony earned her teaching degree at Messiah, a small college near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

“I liked it; it was a small school, that’s a good fit for me.”

Like many aspiring teachers, Anthony’s interest in teaching started back when she was still in high school.

“I knew I wanted to do something with kids or youth, and I didn’t know what direction to go to, and it was actually my guidance counselor in high school-  she suggested that I study health and phys ed (Anthony attended Perkiomen Valley High School). In college, I wasn’t sure if this was something I was going to be good at or that I would enjoy; but, it wasn’t until I started doing it that I was like ‘ok, I definitely like doing this, this is a good fit for me’”.

Since her graduation, she has worked as a field hockey coach at Perkiomen Valley High School for three years, and has been working at Pennfield since October 2011, meaning this school year will be her fifth. In her fifth year and starting a new assignment, Anthony has plenty of goals for the year ahead.

“I want my students to leave the classroom having more knowledge of their overall health because I obviously think that is very important…I think [education] is something that we take for granted, especially around your age. Also, to try to make [class] more applicable and relatable to you guys. Not so much I have to get done these things or these subjects, but actually gear it towards what you guys want to learn and what you guys need to learn.”

Miss Anthony obviously has a clear love for her subject, and is always eager to answer any questions her students have about their own health or health in general.

Although Anthony loves her subject, she is also, in her own words, a “major movie geek”; some of her favorites include Star Wars and Indiana Jones. She enjoys sports, as any good gym teacher should, and working out is a passion as well. Even though she is a full time teacher, she also works part time at the Adidas store in the Limerick outlets. She says it seems as if she is “always surrounded by kids”, but she doesn’t seem to mind. As far as advice for kids, Anthony believes strongly looking for personal connections.

“Find a way that you can relate [things] to yourself. Don’t be scared to ask questions and don’t be intimidated to find out what you want to know,” advised Anthony. She says that her philosophy in life is to ask questions and not be afraid of what other people think of you.