Aaliyah Nowlan and Kevin Prum contributed to this article.
Ally Patrie has recently joined the World Language department as an educator, teaching both Spanish 1 and 3 at the College Prep and Honors level. Her engaging personality serves as an inspiration to her classroom, fostering a positive and fulfilling learning environment for her students.
Patrie had previously been interviewed for the open Spanish teacher position last year and was accepted. However, at the time she was admitted, she had been teaching at North Andover High School and didn’t want to leave her students “without finishing their education.” Due to this, she had rejected the open slot.
Coming into the new school year, she had called over the summer, and Christopher Mastrangelo, Principal of Malden High School, was delighted to welcome her, as the slot was still open.
Alessia Guglielmi, a teacher in the same department as Patrie, explained she first met her at the YMCA, where Patrie taught classes before her current position, becoming acquainted with her for about a year prior to her employment at MHS. “She’s been lovely to work with, she’s full of energy, very vibrant, outgoing, talkative, and she has a lot of experience with teaching,” continued Guglielmi.
Patrie brought this new energy to Malden High, showcasing her personality, leading her students to be excited to walk in and learn through her enthusiasm.
Robert Grinnell, another teacher in the World Language department, described Patrie as “very knowledgeable, especially on the topic of Spain,” as well as having “a lot of energy and expertise that adds to the World Language department.” She has “a friendly, approachable personality,” added Grinnell.
Patrie is a mother of two toddlers, one who attends Cheverus Catholic School in Malden. Patrie shared that in her downtime, she teaches Zumba classes four times a week, expressing her love and passion for Zumba, a hobby she participates in during her free time.
Patrie started teaching because her mother taught in Malden for 30 years. “She has always been my example in just about every aspect of my life; it only seemed fitting to follow in her footsteps professionally, too,” Patrie expressed.
“I had worked at my old school for a long time; it was a great community, but budget cuts led to five language teachers being laid off. I was not one of them, but my leaving meant someone else could stay, so I decided to look at other options. When I saw Malden had an opening, it just made sense,” Patrie explained.
As the school year continues, her bubbly personality welcomes students as they step into her classroom.
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