This academic year has brought various attributes to the halls of CHS. From the construction to the staff additions, CHS has focused its mission around bettering the school. One new addition that the CHS leaders believe will improve the high school is math teacher, Mrs. Arbelaez.

At CHS, Mrs. Arbelaez is teaching honors pre-calculus, trigonometry, geometry, and applications.

Mrs. Arbelaez graduated from Dominican College, located in NY, with a math degree; however, she did not see herself as a teacher when she first enrolled.

“I love mathematics and I was going to be an actuary. Then a counselor in college told me to take some education courses to see if I was interested,” Arbelaez continued. “I took all of them, still en route to become an actuary, and I fell in love with teaching as well as student teaching.”

For those who do not know, an actuary is a person who analyzes statistics to calculate insurance risks. Having the career of an actuary would include a desk, a pile of papers and minimal human interaction.

Upon graduating in 2005, Arbelaez landed a position at Penns Grove High School located in Carney’s Point, NJ. While at Penns Grove, Arbelaez was the head soccer coach for the girl’s team. She was given this position due to her soccer career at Dominican College.

“I taught there for ten years,” said Arbelaez. “Then I moved to Blackwood, NJ and it was time for a change.”

The move to Blackwood, NJ motivated Arbelaez to look at schools hiring around the area. This is when she found Cinnaminson High School.

“I heard about the job from a friend at Rowan. He suggested I apply here because he knew I was looking to relocate,” Arbelaez explained.

Commenting on the differences between CHS and Penns Grove, Arbelaez noticed that, “There’s more spirit here, the students are more involved… Everything’s different, in a good way.”

Whether it be at Penns Grove or Cinnaminson, Arbelaez could not be more pleased with her decision to pursue teaching rather than becoming an actuary.

This actuarial lifestyle did not feel right for Ms. A. With an actuary still being her career goal, she attended a few trial courses, but, “After three weeks, it was done… It solidified that I shouldn’t be an actuary,” Albarez decided.

What she really enjoys is the ability to help others and make a difference in a student’s day, “even if it’s to make them love math for only an hour,” Arbelaez shared.

Arbelaez thoroughly enjoys helping students in any way she can. Whether it be in their personal life, on the soccer field, or in the classroom, Arbelaez puts all her efforts into improving her students.

“Being a teacher is about helping students grow on a personal, moral, and academic level. I try anything to get a kid to think about their behavior or who they are or really just being themselves,” she said. She concluded by saying if any student ever needs help to find her in room E172.