Among the new teachers joining the CHS staff this year is Ms. Madison Palat. As a member of the science department, Palat teaches environmental science and biology classes. Although this is her first year teaching at the high school, she is not in unfamiliar territory. Her mother, Mrs. Palat, is a teacher at the middle school, which Palat said makes her feel more at home here.

“It makes me feel a lot more comfortable obviously and I’ve grown up in this district basically,” Palat said. “My mom started teaching the year before I was born so I’ve literally grown up in the middle school.”

Palat graduated from Muhlenberg College in May of this year. Her path of discovering she wanted to be a teacher stemmed from watching her mom and her love of working with kids.

“I guess my mom had a huge influence,” Palat said. “I was actually pre-med in college and that’s why I was on the bio track, and then I was like ‘wait I don’t want to go to school for that long’ and I’ve always been great with kids.”

She said she plans to continue her education in the future and will strive for her masters at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.

“I graduated from college in May and I’m hoping to get my masters within the next few years,” Palat said.

Although it has only been a few weeks, Palat said she enjoys her new position and appreciates the welcoming atmosphere.

“I like it,” Palat said. “It is not as big as my old high school was and not as daunting.”

Her aspirations for this school year include making learning interesting and enjoyable for her students in order to push them towards achievement.

“I hope to see the success of my students and make learning fun because nobody wants to sit there and just read a textbook,” Palat said.

Palat said she is looking forward to getting involved in school activities, especially sports because she played softball in college.

“I also hope to help the softball team because I was an athlete in college,” Palat said.

She expressed her enthusiasm for her future here at CHS and is looking forward to the days ahead.

“Everyday is a good day,” Palat said. “It’s entertaining.”