On August 29th, staff and students welcomed a fellow alumnus back into the halls of Southern Lehigh in the form of the newest art teacher, Mrs. Courtney Bathgate.

“[I’m most looking forward to] change,” Mrs. Bathgate said. “A new school, different kinds of kids. I think this is a very exciting school district.”

After completing her high school career at Southern Lehigh in 2009, Mrs. Bathgate continued her education at Millersville University for a bachelor in science and art education. After graduating college in 2013, she went to work as a teacher in North Carolina, teaching art to elementary, primary, and high school students.

“[One of my funniest moments teaching is] this one time I taught a kid who hated art. Until one day, something clicked for him,”  Mrs. Bathgate said. “He just wanted to come back into class. He made a series of self-portraits with the emotions he felt in my class, including frustration. That was something I will never forget.”

Mrs. Bathgate has fresh ideas for her art students at Southern Lehigh. She also wishes to continue our school’s participation in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards competition.

“I have new activities planned different from Mrs. Sikorski-Schneider,” she said. “Many of my projects will be more student driven, instead of teacher driven.”  

Our new art teacher is already leaving a positive impression with the students enrolled in her classes this school year.

“Mrs. Bathgate brings a laid back vibe to her classes and has a colorful personality that inspires her students,” senior Quinn Gaughan said.

Outside of school, Mrs. Bathgate enjoys many activities, including traveling, meeting friends for coffee, going to sporting events with her husband, or playing with her dog, Riley. She is a huge fan of the television show “Friends,” and enjoys Will Ferrell movies like “Semi-Pro” and “Step Brothers.”

“My favorite line from ‘Semi-Pro’ is ‘ELE; everybody love everybody,’” Mrs. Bathgate said. “I used to have a poster as a classroom rule saying ELE, but I left it at my old school since the students loved it so much.”

Mrs. Bathgate hopes this school year she can inspire creativity in the hearts of the Southern Lehigh students.

“I think she is very nice and a good change to the art program,” senior Grace Botelho said.