Ms. Kelly Gil is an introverted, friendly, and determined teacher who works here at Casa Grande High School and over at Kenilworth Junior High School as a Spanish teacher.

Gil knew that she wanted to be a teacher from an early age. When she was a student at Napa High School, she had an English teacher named Justin Aaron who was compassionate and someone she felt comfortable with. He was such an important figure in her life that he made her realize she wanted to recreate the feeling he had given her to her own students someday.

Once she knew that she wanted to be a teacher, she pursued that by going to Sonoma State for college with her majors being Sociology and Spanish. She graduated from Sonoma State in 2023, with a degree in both Sociology and Spanish. She also got her bachelor’s degree at Sonoma State. This is Gil’s second year teaching and first year teaching at Casa Grande. Last year, she worked in Santa Rosa because she wanted to work close to her home in Napa. “I was looking for a school closer to home, and the school was very inclusive and there is lots of diversity,” she said. She is showing that Casa is a very welcoming school for new teachers, students, and families interested in coming to this school. 

Gil said she would like to teach ELD if she wasn’t teaching Spanish. ELD is a class where students who don’t know English as their first or primary language become more familiar with it. She would want to teach ELD because she “used to teach ELD, and it was meaningful to see the students use English to connect with other students, make friends, and use English properly.” Her favorite unit for the whole year, she said, is “the family unit, because it helps me learn more about my students’ families and lives.” The family unit is usually in November, and students watch the movie “Coco,” since it celebrates family ties and heritage. 

When she is not at school, her hobbies include watching movies (particularly Marvel films), going to concerts and festivals; she also likes playing soccer, but just for fun. When Gil first came to Casa, she was nervous about being the “new teacher,” especially since she was working at two different schools, and she had to adapt to the different schedules. She had people she could count on, though, to help her feel more comfortable. Gil shared that her “biggest strength is having support from people in the past that encouraged me and they still encourage me today.” Also, she said, “the most challenging aspect is trend behaviors such as 6,7. It’s okay at first, but when people start over using it, it becomes not funny and annoying.” Gil hopes to continue working at Casa as a teacher and also to become “more involved in clubs.” 

Ultimately, Ms. Kelly Gil is a determined and hardworking teacher here at Casa Grade and at Kenilworth who wants to be involved in her community.