With the coming of a new school year comes the goodbye of graduating students and former staff members, and a welcoming hello to new faces in the Central High Community. With the leaving of former Spanish teacher Mr. Mario Alba, came the welcoming of a new Spanish teacher, Mr. Hale.

Growing up, Mr. Hale always wanted to learn Spanish as a second language because of the inspiration his teachers gave him when he was a student. Hale graduated from California State University Chico with his bachelor’s degree and later attended the University of Tennessee Chattanooga for his master’s degree and teaching license.

“The majority of them learned it as a second language,” stated Hale regarding his professors. One of them even said, “I wasn’t born with the ability to speak Spanish, so if I can do it you can too.”

Hale wants to help students learn Spanish as a second language and gain the confidence of learning a new language. Although Mr. Hale wanted to teach college Spanish, Hale decided teaching high school would help him hone his teaching skills to prepare him for the journey ahead. 

Hale did not come to Central to just teach us the alphabet and numbers in Spanish, but the life of the people he spent time with and different cultural perspectives. Hale spent over a year studying abroad in Chile and Europe, so he really wants to show us how other cultures and countries are with their traditions.

“When you’re studying a language, your not only studying different words that mean the same thing in English but your also studying another way of thinking.” expressed Hale.

Hale hopes that his time here at Central will inspire us to continue with Spanish in our daily lives, whether it’s  understanding people in the workplace, going on a trip to a Spanish-speaking country, or just for the fun of it. Hale hopes to spark an interest in learning different languages and inspire enthusiasm for students to pursue their interests in learning new languages.

So from us here at the Central Digest, the whole Central High school staff and students, we would like to give a big warm welcome to Mr. Hale!