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 4 of 5 of the “New Year Brings New Teachers” series

EHS has hired two new math teachers this school year.

One of them is Mr. Brad Grace. Before pursuing a teaching career, Mr. Grace received a bachelor’s of science and a master’s of science in biomedical engineering and worked as a doctoral graduate student in a research lab at Washington University.

Why the change of heart?

“I [wanted] to share my knowledge and experience with engineering to high school students so that they may…appreciate science, engineering, or technology,” Mr. Grace said.

At EHS, Mr. Grace can showcase his engineering skills as a sponsor for the Robotics Club along with Mr. Dan Morrisey this year.

The other new math teacher is Mr. Nathan Ball. Before coming to EHS, Mr. Ball taught ninth- to twelfth-grade math at a small school called East Moline Christian School in northern Illinois.

“Coming from a small school to a very large one was daunting at first, but Mr. Meinzen, Mr. Cramsey and all the staff in the math department have made me feel welcome,” Mr. Ball said.

Besides math, Mr. Ball takes an interest in playing music. He’s certified to teach this subject too and can play “percussion, guitar and sing proficiently.” As a kid, Mr. Ball discovered his love for music while watching Disney’s “Fantasia” “days on end.”

It has been an auspicious start to the year for these two new math teachers, and according to math department head Mr. John Meinzen, they’re doing “quite well.”

“[Mr. Ball and Mr. Grace] have adjusted phenomenally,” Mr. Meinzen said. “They’ve learned their courses and their students and are doing all the extra things expected by teachers here at Edwardsville High School.”