By Tristan Bugos
As the doors of Lane opened on Aug. 26, the building welcomed many for the first time, most of whom were freshmen. But there were also a few that one might say were “under wraps.”
A handful of teachers returned this school year with news that is quite obvious upon appearance. It will not be long before they will be leaving for the hospital after to welcome a new member to the family.
Over in the chemistry department, Mrs. Trine just gave birth to her baby boy on Oct. 1. Trine named her son Oscar Spencer Trine. She is expected to return at the end of first semester.
“It’s kind of funny when I’m so close to my due date and still teaching because I always have to be bumping and squeezing past students to navigate around my classroom,” Trine said. “I was once using the ELMO projector and saw something green on the screen, only to find that it was my baby bump under my green shirt.”
One teacher who is nearing her big day is photography teacher Ms. McMeans. She is due at the end of November and will go on maternity leave mid-November.
A problem with McMeans’ departure is that she teaches AP Photography. Throughout the course, McMeans walks students through the entire process of compiling their portfolios, which must be completed by May. Knowing she would be away for part of the school year, McMeans has worried that her students may not receive all the guidance they need.
“I have a substitute in particular ready that has a photography background,” McMeans said. “I’m going to expand my students’ photography knowledge and elements as much as I can before I leave, but I have a lot of hope for my students.”
Klaudia Knap, Div. 477, is in McMeans’ division and was shocked when she found out the news.
“My reaction to Ms. McMeans being pregnant could be put as ‘astonished.’ I have her for AP Photo so I knew right away that I’d have a different curriculum because she will be gone for a few months. I just know she has a big workload for when she returns,” Knap said.
McMeans is expecting twins and prefers to keep the genders a mystery. McMeans will return some time in February.
The weather reached well over a hundred degrees multiple days at the beginning of the year. Hundred degree classrooms are not a suitable environment for pregnant women, especially since they are carrying an extra 25-35 pounds. School engineers had to walk around on the really hot days to check the temperatures of classrooms. A few teachers were advised by the engineers to move their students to a first floor vacant computer lab because it was simply too hot.
Mrs. Gallegos from the science department is nearing her maternity leave for her due date, Oct. 25. She is expecting her firstborn who will be a boy.
“I am a fortunate one to have air conditioning in my classroom, and I’ve never been more grateful for it in my life,” Gallegos said. “I know standing and teaching puts strain on my body so I have to sit down and lecture sometimes because I easily lose my breath.”
LTAC math teacher Mrs. Jencius, however, was not so lucky. Her classes had to be moved to a lower floor because her classroom’s temperature was over the regulation.
Jencius is expecting Jan. 15. The gender and name of her unborn child is unknown. Jencius plans on staying at Lane to work for as long as she can before she has to go on leave. She enjoyed seeing the surprise on her students’ faces when they returned from the summer break to see her pregnant.
“When [they] came in the building, when only the teachers were present, they had all seen me and were shocked because they didn’t know at the end of last year,” Jecius said. “Apparently, after they all saw me, they put it all over Facebook and Twitter. They’re already dying to know the gender, and a few are making lists of names that they think I should name the baby.”
