Calvin Fontanilla and Anthony Portillo also contributed to this article.
A major change of the guard has taken place in the World Languages Department this year, bringing a wave of veteran experience and a vibrant, immersive energy to our hallways.
Jenna Mendiola has officially joined the high school faculty after spending 15 years teaching at the Salemwood School. The sudden move came following an administrative decision resulting in the removal of the Spanish exploratory at the middle school.
To some students, a language class is another period in the school day; to Mendiola, it’s a chance to connect people through communication.
Driven by a career inspired by working with people, Mendiola’s journey into the profession spans across borders. She previously taught English and studied abroad in Chile. Now, she brings that global perspective directly to the building. However, transitioning from a middle school setup to a high school building presents its own immediate, everyday struggles. When adjusting to Malden High, Mendiola confessed with a laugh that the hardest part about transitioning is “not getting lost.”
Fortunately, she isn’t navigating entirely alone. Fellow language department member Robert Grinnell noted that she is already a highly familiar face to the underclassmen. “She especially has close relationships with a lot of the freshmen that she has gotten to know by having them as students at Salemwood,” Grinnell explained. He added that she has been “a great addition to our department by bringing with her the perspective of working at a different school, but also deeply knowing Malden and Malden students very well.”
Step into her classroom, and you will quickly notice her unique and engaging way of teaching a foreign language. While walking into a high school language course can sometimes fill students with dread, Mendiola’s students find her demanding methods empowering.
“She speaks in Spanish first, and then when we don’t know what she’s saying, she repeats it in English and then says it in Spanish again, so that we kind of get the key words of that sentence down,” sophomore Clementine Adams, a student who has Mendiola, explained.
This strategy of independent problem-solving is fully intentional, pushing students to actively decode the language. When students struggle with difficult grammar or a large amount of vocabulary, Mendiola uses a hands-on teaching approach.
“She speaks Spanish in a really clear way, so I know what she’s saying in Spanish when she does speak it,” Adams expressed.
Mendiola firmly believes that language learning thrives when students feel at ease, a philosophy that influences her views on classroom design. In fact, if the district ever handed her an unlimited budget to decorate her workspace, she knows exactly what she would change.
Mendiola revealed she would immediately “replace all the desks with couches,” pointing out that she heavily “utilizes comfort and hates how students sit for hours in uncomfortable chairs.” To complete her ultimate “educational oasis,” she would also install “a smartboard” and “more windows.”
“I know that she does a great job at making students feel comfortable and safe; she has a great classroom environment.” Grinnell shared. He observed that her daily routine focuses primarily on the well-being of her students and making sure that they feel supported. “She goes out of her way to build a connection with her students so that they can feel comfortable and safe participating in the classroom.” This mutual respect helps her keep the classroom organized.
She also builds trust by being understanding when students fall behind or have trouble understanding lessons. Adams shared a recent example of how Mendiola showed kindness and understanding: “She gives us lenience when we miss a homework assignment; it was our first time, so she respected that, and gave us time to do it again.”
When the final bell rings, however, she leaves behind her confused thoughts and moves to the rhythm. Beyond her academic credentials, Mendiola is a passionate dancer who teaches salsa dancing outside of school.
Grinnell noted that she is “actively involved in a dance studio in Malden and brings that experience into the classroom as well.” Because her curriculum is interactive and fun, she embraces the idea that everything can be fun with her subject.
Behind the scenes, Mendiola maintains an open-door policy for professional collaboration. Grinnell reflected on their history working together across the district. “We have worked together for multiple years at different professional development sessions. So she’s been a coworker that we’ve already had kind of fostered a relationship with.” Grinnell stated that Mendiola “engages very well with our department, contributes new information, and always shares different resources.”
Grinnell summarized her core personal qualities as being incredibly “caring and empathetic, a great listener, and very much a leader.”
Though she noted she doesn’t have a specific pinpoint memorable moment from her years in the classroom, she explained that she simply “loves when her students have a fun time with learning,” and how she “loves relationship building.”
As she looks ahead to the rest of the academic year, her ultimate objective has less to do with lesson plans and more to do with community. Her main goal right now is simply to feel settled down with her new teaching role and her fellow colleagues, while continuing to enjoy seeing old faces and old students stepping through her doorway.
If you see her outside in the halls, make sure to stop by and say hola!
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