It is another day, another class and another chapter in your “high school career,” but this year brings with it many fresh faces: Edwardsville has welcomed 10 new teachers to the high school.

This is the largest haul of new teachers in recent memory, so it is a given that most students at EHS will have some type of run-in with one of the 10 new teachers. One of the new teachers teaches orchestra, two teach French, two teach math, two teach applied tech and three teach English.

This is part 3 of 5 of the “New Year Brings New Teachers” series

With Ms. McLaughlin-Heil pursuing her masters at Illinois State University, Ms. Carli Bates heads this year’s concert and symphonic orchestras.

Some students recognize Ms. Bates from Liberty Middle School, where she used to conduct the sixth-to-eighth grade orchestra. Before working in the Edwardsville school district, she taught at another middle school in Columbia, Mo. after finishing graduate school at Mizzou.

“I always have to laugh about taking the students into a tiny concession stand off from the cafeteria to teach class,” Ms. Bates said. “It smelled rank and I’ll never forget the neon orange vat of butter that sat above the popcorn machine.”

At EHS, Ms. Bates loves being able to teach some of her old students as well as students she never knew before.

“Watching my students grow is infectious. I can already see it happening in the couple weeks I have been here,” Ms. Bates said. “I have to say my students have been the best part of my experience here so far.”

Some students like senior Ashlea Hearn, first chair second violinist, enjoy having their middle school teacher as their high school one.

“I love [having Ms. Bates here] because I think she’s really grown a lot,” Hearn said. “I know when she was a new teacher at the middle school, she was really nervous at first, but now she’s really taking charge.”

Already Ms. Bates has implemented new ideas to orchestra.

“Ms. Bates is switching it up from last year by putting the older more mature experienced people in first chairs and rotating them around instead of putting up younger people…who aren’t as experienced,” Hearn said.

With the new responsibilities of teaching at the high school, Ms. Bates has taken measures to ensure that she exceeds her expectations. This past summer, she became Suzuki certified and has also taught private lessons.

Ms. Bates has lined up many concerts throughout the school year for the EHS orchestra beginning with the “Tiger Town Consortium” in October. Students like senior Louisa LeCroy, first chair cello, are excited to debut their work under Ms. Bates.

“We’ve all been improving a lot,” she said, “and I think Ms. Bates is going to be proud of us when we perform.”