For the newest member of the DGS faculty, Stephanie Peterson, time at work is split between two passions- the French language and Color Guard. For the first time, the DGS Color Guard director is also a staff member, a position that poses new challenges and horizons for Peterson.

Peterson began taking French her freshman year of high school. Inspired by her own instructors, Peterson found a career calling early on.

“I just really liked how I could explain things in such a way that people were able to understand them better. So, I actually made the decision in high school. I was pretty lucky. I knew what I wanted to do by the time I was a junior or senior in high school, and it’s never really changed,” Peterson said. 

Cyndi Montero, Peterson’s mentor and a Spanish teacher at DGS, has worked closely with Peterson throughout the year to ease the transition into a new school. Besides offering emotional support, Montero also observes Peterson in action during classroom observations. 

“She’s very caring. She’s very outgoing. You can tell that she really cares for her students and her students learning,” Montero said. 

Hazel Tan, a junior at DGS, has been apart of the French program since her freshman year. Tan is most excited by the prospect of Peterson’s future here at DGS. 

“It’s nice because she has this whole future ahead of her in the language department here. I feel like she’s coming in really strong,” Tan said. 

With 13 years of experience, Peterson has a foundation set for that future. She values keeping her methods of teaching up-to-date. She also makes her lesson plans adaptable to each individual class. 

“[It’s] comforting to know that I can always fall back on that experience, but as a teacher, you’re always doing new stuff and you’re always trying to update,” Peterson said.

The same year that Peterson began learning French, she also became a member of the Color Guard team. 

“I did high school Color Guard instead of playing my instrument [in marching band.] I fell in love with it, “ Peterson said. 

As Color Guard director, Peterson is in charge of choreography, scheduling, and even small details such as hair and makeup. Most important to her, however, is focusing on her immediate goals for the team. 

“The main goal right now is just for all of us to get comfortable with each other. They had a color guard instructor here who was here for many years. [He] was very much beloved by the team. [He] did a great job of building up a program, so my initial goal is just to kind of get comfortable with everything,” Peterson said. 

As a team that spends 15 to 20 hours a week in practice together, the DGS Color Guard team prioritizes team bonding and building. This value is something that Peterson not only understands but is also something she hopes to encourage and inspire as the color director. 

“Color Guards usually become a family because you’re spending so much time together and working hard toward a common goal that you do end up becoming very, very close to your team. That’s something I am hoping to continue,” Peterson said.