by: Schola Eburuoh ’17
One of our newest teachers here at Cardinal O’Hara is Ms. Beck! Originally from the Philadelphia area, she is definitely familiar with our Delco pride! When asked what her favorite part of Cardinal O’Hara was thus far she said, without a doubt, “It’s gotta be the kids.”
She obtained her masters degree in education as well as developmental biology and teratology which are the study of the development in species and the abnormalities among them. A few subjects she has taught throughout her career are physical science, embryology, chemistry, as well as anatomy labs. She has been teaching for about six years and truly enjoys her career and helping her students thrive within the classroom and in life in general! She is as passionate about teaching and educating young people as she is about promoting organizations that uphold the safety and respect of all human life. She constantly endeavors to support anti-human trafficking groups. One specific group called FREE (Freedom and Restorations for Everyone Enslaved) strives to raise awareness, advocate for those enslaved, shed a light on the issue at hand, and, of course, end human trafficking. She is also an advocate for the pro-life movement, which is a great and very important organization here at O’Hara.
On a more lighthearted note, Ms. Beck enjoys music and taking in her environment. “I play the guitar (self taught) and I enjoy painting.” She loves being outside, just breathing in the fresh air with possibly a book in hand. Although she led O’Hara’s summer reading book discussion with The Magic Strings of Freddy Presto by Mitch Albom, two of her favorite books are Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives by Gretchen Rubin and How to Find Your Soulmate Without Losing Your Soul by Jason and Crystalina Evert which are very insightful and eye-opening books.
It is no surprise that her favorite subject when she was in school was science. Ms. Beck’s “all time favorite class was one on field botany” partly because a majority of the class took place outside. In high school she was a transfer student her sophomore year and joined a school organization which allowed her to make many friends and feel welcome. One of her fondest memories was during her senior year of high school. She was voted May Queen—one girl is selected by her peers to crown the statue of the Blessed Mother during the month of May, a traditional month to honor the Virgin Mary. To top it off, she found out about the nomination the day of her senior prom! “It was an awesome day,” she said.
When asked what advice she would give to her students, she primarily said that they should be open to listening and not rash in what they decide to say or do if they hear or see something that they do not agree with or that may confuse them. Instead of being rude or violently expressing yourself, stay calm “so the valid things you have to say, can’t be detracted from the way you say them.” To conclude this great advice she said, “You’ve got good points, you’ll be heard!” Essentially the greatest advice she was given in high school was two simple yet powerful words: “You matter.” This was said to her by her ninth grade teacher and she hopes to spread that message to all the students here at Cardinal O’Hara.
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