Monday, February 9, Wheat Ridge High School welcomed Marchelle Dickey to their science department. The Haystack reached out to Dickey for an interview, so the entire school could have a chance to meet her whether they have her as a teacher or not.

Dickey told The Haystack that she had been teaching in Jefferson County Schools for 10 years. She explained that she didn’t always want to be a teacher. She originally wanted to be a veterinarian, but ultimately decided against it saying

 “I don’t think I could ever put someone’s dog or cat down.“

Teaching is in her blood:

“My Dad’s a teacher too though, he’s a professor at a college, my brother’s a teacher too, so I think it kinda runs in the family.“

Wheat Ridge is not Dickey’s first teaching position. . She explained how many schools she has taught at with,

 “Let’s see, five, two in Arizona, then when I moved here, I worked at a couple of different schools.“

When explaining what made her want to teach here, she said, “For a while, I was working at Alameda, then I had my daughter who is two now, I took two years off of teaching. When I came back, this job just happened to be open so I applied.“

Later she explained how she has always been interested in science and biology. She studied animal behavior while in college in Prescott Arizona.

Dickey told The Haystack about how science has always been her favorite subject in school she even said, 

“That’s why this is a great job because I have all biology classes“

Haystack asked Mrs. Dickey what her current thoughts were on the Farm as a whole. She answered, “Wheat Ridge is really, refreshing“.

Sophomore Ivy Keyes has Dickey as her biology teacher after having many short and long-term substitutes come in and out. All of that was due to Trevor Sweet, Wheat Ridge’s former biology and physics teacher left, Toni Budoff taking over his classes, leaving for many different people to step in to attempt to teach in her then-vacant position. Keyes said, 

“I find it easier with a more qualified teacher. The subs we had didn’t really seem to know what to talk about, they all did exactly seem to understand the subject and how to teach it. So I think it’s better that we have a teacher that knows her stuff, so we know what we’re supposed to be learning now.”

Sophomore Sarah Chorens Alsagir spent the first part of the second semester not knowing for certain who she would see in the teacher’s seat with every new day. Chorens Alsagir explained, 

¨Yeah, it was stressful, I didn’t know whether or not they would be strict or if I was going to be able to work out my problems in that class with this new teacher, but it ended up being fine, I love Ms. Dickey.¨

She went on to say, ¨I´m really glad that I will have her for this remainder of the year, she has been really helpful, funny, sweet, and just an overall cool lady, she’s an awesome teacher.¨

So whether you have Marchelle. Dickey as your biology teacher or not, consider taking some time out of your day to go visit her up in room 205 over in the science wing to help welcome her to our little community here on the Farm.