Lily Barcelona, a teacher and Hinsdale Central aluma, will be returning this year to the World Languages department after six years at Butler Jr. High. In the short time that she has been back, Barcelona has already seen how the school has evolved.

“The student body has really grown. We used to always have a few empty classrooms in the building, but now that’s all changed. It’s great that the school is now operating at maximum capacity,” said Barcelona.

Barcelona said that her decision to move back to Central was motivated by her desire to utilize her masters degree in Spanish and her knowledge of Spanish literature. Though she loved teaching at Butler Jr. High, she said, “There was not much opportunity to challenge myself professionally.”

However, she does expect a few differences between the students at Butler and Central. “Junior high kids are incredibly enthusiastic and eager to learn, but it’s harder to control that energy. At the high school level, students are more in control, but getting them to participate can be more difficult. That’s something I’ll be working on this year.”

Barcelona also spoke of her passion for language. “People get into teaching because they love the kids or they love the content. I was drawn to the content. I’ve been in situations where the only way I’d be able to solve a problem is to be bilingual. But now my passion is not just for Spanish, but for the young people. I love working with teenagers,” said Barcelona.

Barcelona expressed excitement about integrating Central technology into the Spanish curriculum this year. “My goal for this year is to utilize as much technology as possible this year. Things such as Sharepoint have transformed how students learn and communicate, and I’d like to take advantage of them in every way possible.”

Barcelona will be teaching Spanish II and the first section of Etymology this year.