This year, Westminster welcomes new faculty member Magnolia Hemingway to the language department, where she is teaching both Intro to Spanish and Spanish 1.

Hemingway taught at The Globe Academy in Atlanta for ten years before transferring to Westminster, where she is enjoying the environment. “I like the community feeling of this school,” she says. “When we come every week, like twice per week, to talk about things related to social issues or when the school has something important to say.” 

Hemingway’s teaching style is one that many students at Westminster relish. “Señora Hemingway is an amazing teacher; her classroom is a great environment to learn, and I loved when we did a project about a country,” says Rebecca Overend, a 6th-grade Spanish student.

Hemingway believes in the importance of incorporating culture into the language class. She feels that learning a language combines the values, customs, and foundations of a particular heritage. “I like to teach language because it is not only teaching content—how to speak and how to write in languages—but also can embed the culture, because language and culture come together,” she says.

In her free time, Hemingway loves exploring nature in Atlanta. The new teacher finds immersing herself in nature very calming. “It’s very relaxing to go outdoors when you need that space,” she says. “You can be by yourself, or you can enjoy it with friends.” She also enjoys cooking. “It’s a way to socialize and be in touch with your friends, which for me is like also family,” she says. She especially loves to cook arepas and other Colombian dishes.

Hemingway believes that heritage is the most essential value of being yourself and that we are lucky to be in a place that encourages that fact. “In America, there are different cultures,” she says. “It is a country that feels proud to have different cultures, and the law of the land is that we respect everyone for who they are.”

She wants all students and faculty to embrace their heritage. “Culture is part of who you are, and wherever you go, you will bring that, and that represents you.”