By Beth Clifford
Online Managing Editor
This is our fourth and final story for our feature on the new teachers at Prospect called “Knight Knewcomers.” It has been fun getting to know the new faces of Prospect’s hallways. For the other three profiles, simply click on each name: Krystina Leazer, John Joseph, and Molly Klein.
Jenna Sandstead
Similar to new Spanish teacher Molly Klein, although new to Prospect High School, French teacher Jenna Sandstead is not new to the area by any means. Before being hired by Prospect this school year, Sandstead had taught Spanish and French at Lincoln Middle School for the last five years.
Right after graduating from Indiana University in Bloomington, Sandstead student taught at the high school level. She didn’t think she would ever teach middle school, but wound up at Lincoln and loved it. When she received the opportunity to switch back to the high school level, however, she felt the need to take it.
“Because I initially had that view that I would be teaching high school,” Sandstead said, “and since I knew the reputation of what a good school that Prospect was from Lincoln feeding into it, it was just an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up to apply for this position.”
Even though she is a suburb soul now, Sandstead originally was a small-town Indiana girl. She grew up in Salem, Indiana, which has a population of about 10,000. Her mom was a second grade teacher at the town’s elementary school, and her dad was the high school principal.
“It was fine [having my father as my own principal], except when he would body spell at pep assemblies,” Sandstead said. (For those who don’t know, body spelling is when someone lays on the ground and forms letters to spell out words with their own body.)
Back in her high school and college days, Sandstead was not only a student but also a full-time cheerleader. She looks to coach athletics in the future at Prospect.
In her free time, Sandstead loves to do yoga, which should allow us to label her as a “yogi.” She goes home to her husband, who is actually the brother of Prospect’s varsity girls basketball coach Ashley Graham and son of Lincoln Middle School’s gym teacher, referred to by Lincoln alums as “Mrs. Sandstead.”
Sandstead is very excited to be teaching levels one through four of French for the 2014-2015 school year, and she has already had a great first month on the job.
“I’ve had a very positive experience,” Sandstead said. “It’s been fun seeing kids in the halls that I recognize and haven’t seen for a few years. I’ve loved to get to know the staff, too. Everyone has been very welcoming and supportive.”