Carmen VanNess is an excellent addition to our amazing community here at Vestal High School and will make a huge impact on our future graduating classes. She is currently teaching Spanish II  & III. 

Senorita VanNess is originally from a small town in Pennsylvania. When she was a little girl she dreamed of growing up to be a mermaid. However, she knew as soon as she entered adolescence she wanted to do something creative. VanNess took up the hobby of designing fashion industry level clothing. She loved global geography with anthropology and sociology. Her first classroom job was Gilded America, but the classroom was boring and not up to her creative likings. Although her first educational job was teaching geography, she eventually moved to teaching Spanish 1 and 4, allowing her to teach both ends of the learning spectrum. She instantly connected to the older kids because she was so young and close to their age. Since she had just graduated from college it was easy for her to help with the transition from highschool to adulthood. Earlier she had substituted in a kindergarten class, but the little children were hard for her to have that connection that she so desired to have with her students. Although Vestal is similar to other high schools that she has taught at, she sees that Vestal students are held to a higher academic standard, which will enable her to focus all of her time teaching students. 

Mrs. VanNess feels at home with Vestal. She loves the welcoming aura Vestal High has given her, both from the teachers to the students, Mrs. VanNess has felt incredibly supported by the whole community here at Vestal High School. One of her top challenges is getting her students to feel comfortable learning and making mistakes in her classroom. “Always investigate, and treat life as a giant opportunity to learn. Make mistakes and learn from them,” says Mrs. VanNess to any student who wishes to pursue a career in teaching.