In the past few months, Lambert High School has undergone a variety of changes to ensure a successful 2023-2024 academic year. On the top of that list is the introduction of 43 new faculty members to Longhorn Nation, a record high for the school.
“There was definitely a need [for more teachers],” Assistant Principal Rob Meinberg said. “With some teachers that have transitioned on to different schools, relocated through moving and family situations, and some retirements, obviously there’s a need to fill those teacher vacancies.”
Lambert has come a long way since it first opened its doors in 2009 with 1,400 students. Today, the school is sitting at over 3,200 students. This leap in enrollment enables the school to bring in new educators who can offer fresh educational perspectives and focus more intently on students’ academic capabilities.
“[I hope to provide] a new perspective on things because I came from a school that was very different from this, and I personally was at a high school that was very different from this,” Madison Adams, a new teacher at Lambert, explained. “So maybe just offering that perspective would be good.”
The school is also providing support for the teachers in order to help them adjust. Lambert participates in the New Educator Orientation (NEO), a state-wide organization that aids new teachers with different workshops and training in order to provide them with an extra layer of support as they embark on a new stage of their career. Mentors can also be found in every academic department to aid new educators with any help they may need.
“Every new teacher does have a mentor, whether they’re new to teaching, [new] within Lambert, or are new to the county,” Meinberg said. “So we have different levels of new teachers, of course, but everyone has a mentor.”
As for Longhorn culture, Meinberg believes that the impact these teachers have is already phenomenal. Every new teacher is involved in some way with an extracurricular activity, which embeds them into Lambert’s culture. Adams, for example, has taken on the role of the Girls’ Softball coach.
“The softball girls are absolutely fantastic,” she explained. “They’ve been very welcoming. They made my first couple days.”
In terms of the following school year, it’s evident that the need for teachers will remain consistent across not only Lambert, but Forsyth County as a whole.
“This was by far, with my experience in my six years here at Lambert, our biggest amount of new hires this year,” Meinberg expressed. “So next year, who knows what it’s gonna look like.”
