Penn-Trafford welcomed math teacher Ashley Fronk to the high school this year. She has been teaching since the first day of school and teaches Pre-Calculus and Algebra 2. She offered a bit of insight about herself for students to get to know her better.

What school did you teach at before P-T?

   Before teaching at P-T, I taught 7th Grade Math at Derry Area Middle School for five years. 

What is your favorite part of math to teach?

   I love helping students see connections between skills and topics in math. 

How has adjusting to a new school been during these changing times?

   Everybody has been so nice and welcoming to me, which has really helped! However, it is hard to get to know other staff members and students with COVID restrictions and everybody wearing masks all the time. I am definitely looking forward to when things get more back to normal. 

How do you plan to teach going forward?

   I plan to keep trying to engage students — I know it’s difficult to engage when you are behind a computer screen or a mask, but I hope to show my students that we are all in this together!

What lunch do you normally bring to school?

   Typically I bring some sort of salad that includes quinoa, veggies, and a homemade dressing. In my lunch, you will also find fruit and something sweet like a Reese’s Cup or fruit snacks. 

What are your top two favorite colors?

   Periwinkle and teal. 

What animal would you describe yourself as and why? 

   A dog — I’m loyal and protective of my friends/family and I like to make other people happy. 

Do you have any pets? If so, share 

   We have one dog, Lincoln! He is about two and half years old now. He looks like a black lab, but is actually an Australian Cattle Dog mix that we rescued from Texas.

Any other fun facts about you?

   I’m terrible at playing sports, I love to cook and bake, and being outdoors makes me happy. 

What was your favorite high school class?

   My favorite high school class was Trigonometry and I’m not just saying that because I’m teaching Pre-Calc this year. I also took Forensic Science and Psychology in high school and loved both of those classes as well!

What inspired you to go down this career path?

   Growing up, I had some really great teachers that impacted my life and pushed me to be the best version of myself. I hope that I can impact students like my teachers impacted me. As for wanting to teach math, math always came naturally to me and I liked the feeling of accomplishment after solving a difficult problem.