Melody Downie sat in her living room with her father watching the history channel as a young girl, unaware of this would later influence her to become a history teacher.

“My father installed a passion for history in me because he wanted to become a history teacher,” Downie said. “I’ve always been interested in the things people did in the past.”

Downie’s mindset of becoming a history teacher remained the same, since the age of ten throughout high school. However, she also developed an interest in Spanish during her college years. During her junior year she studied abroad in Spain for four months.

“In high school I learned about the language, so I went to Spain to learn and appreciate it more,” Downie said. “College in general was a big change, I moved from California to Washington, and adjusted to living in a dorm and harder material.”

With periods of Spanish and two of world history, Downie implicates various teaching methods inspired by a master teacher in addition to both positive and negative experiences beginning in high school.

“I actually like learning a foreign language,” Eric Kister, ’10, said. “I have a A in the class and I actually have fun in here too.”

Principal Gary Schultz planned on interviewing two applicants for the position but liked Downie so much they didn?t even interview the second applicant.

“She came and taught a class and Mr. (Jon) Endicott, Mrs. (Debbie) Siebert, Mrs. (Beatriz) Foth, and myself all watched,” Principal Schultz said. “We got so exited about Downie’s teaching methods we hired her.”

Several factors influenced Downie’s decision to work on campus including her fianc