Chloe Islam ’26 | Jordan Shanahan ’26
As EA starts the 2023-2024 school year, it has welcomed new faculty members into its community across several different departments. There are fresh faces to see in hallways and even more teachers who will challenge and help students develop their interests. Head of Upper School Michael Letts states, “Our faculty [is] everything. Not only are [our faculty] teachers, but they are your advisors, your support, your mentors, and in many cases your coaches. Without [our] faculty, the EA experience wouldn’t be possible.” The two new teachers this year are Cari Cloud, a Spanish teacher in the Modern Languages Department, and Cara Saraco in the English Department.
Photo Courtesy of Carter Yearley
Cloud has worked as a Spanish teacher for seven years in several South Jersey schools, as well as in Denver, Colorado at Stanley British Primary. She now teaches Spanish 3 and Spanish 4 at EA. When pursuing a career, Cloud did not originally start with teaching, since she did not have the opportunity to attend college directly after high school. However, she was later able to pursue her teaching goals. Cloud describes EA as “a homecoming” for her, as her son attends EA and her husband used to work in the Lower School. Cloud resonates with the ethos of EA, saying, “I love EA’s environment. I think that they have a great balance between a close family-like environment [and] the professional respect between students and teachers.”
Cloud hopes that all her students will adhere to her main teaching philosophy, which prioritizes setting high expectations. “The [idea] that’s most important to me is the fact that people will live up to the expectations that you set for them, especially if you keep everyone’s needs and abilities in mind … I always teach to the highest expectation and I know my students will meet me there,” she comments. Her students, such as Jason Smith ’24, appreciate the way she runs the classroom. He states, “Sra. Cloud’s classroom [is] a very positive [environment] where we do a variety of different fun activities [that] help us improve our knowledge … [and] keep the class interesting. I’ve really enjoyed Sra. Cloud’s class so far and look forward to it the rest of the year.”
Saraco’s first teaching job was at Salesianum School in Delaware, and afterward, she worked at Sacred Heart Bryn Mawr as the director of academics. Similar to Cloud, Saraco did not even consider teaching until she picked her major for college. She gravitated towards English, so she followed her interest. However, it was her mother who pushed her into teaching, and she has loved it ever since. Regarding why she decided to begin teaching at EA, Saraco says, “I was looking to get back into the classroom, into teaching. I really missed being in the classroom and working with students. So, when I saw this opportunity at EA, I felt like I had to go for it because I know it is such a highly regarded school and I was really excited about working here with EA students.” She has already had a positive start, mentioning, “Everyone has been super welcoming, super kind. The students have been awesome. I definitely can see that the students have to work really hard here, but I appreciate that and I just appreciate overall how warm and welcoming everyone has been.”
Saraco takes a methodical approach to teaching. Her favorite teaching theory—understanding by design—involves working backward so her students can understand the goal of the lesson. “[It’s planning] what the end is going to look like … And working backwards from there … hopefully getting students to develop [their] understanding along the way.” One of Dr. Saraco’s students comments about her teaching style, saying, “She’s really nice and [loves] literature and books as well as discussing them and helping us analyze them!”
As the year goes on, students are excited to see how Cloud and Saraco contribute to the larger community, share their talents, and contribute to the growth of the student body.