GULF SHORES, AL — Among the fresh faces on staff for the start of school at Gulf Shores High School, Caroline Roberts may be the freshest among the nine teachers new to the school.

“There’s one that’s just brand new out of college, very intelligent, excited,” Principal Ernie Rosado said of Roberts. Her first job is as a social studies teacher at the school.

“So energetic, so organized,” Rosado said of Roberts. “It’s just a breath of fresh air to have somebody come in new like that.”

Roberts is one of seven teachers new to Gulf Shores this school year and Rosado said a total of 15 new staff members are joining the school this year.

“I’m excited about them all,” Rosado said. “They bring a different view on teaching.”

Rosado said enthusiastic newcomers like Roberts can infuse some excitement into a school with a fresh outlook and eagerness to try put to use all she learned earning a teaching degree. She’s a recent graduate from the University of Alabama.

“I’m very excited,” Roberts, who was getting her room ready, said. “I had a really good experience in the education program and I’m looking forward to seeing how it works in the classroom.”

Gulf Shores added three teachers in the English department, Caroline Moss, Ram Talantis and Leta Stephens.

“She has a lot of knowledge in teaching reading remediation which is something that we need because we have some issues,” Rosado said of Stephens. “It’s not that they can’t read, they’re just not at grade level. And we have to do some remediation with them.”

Talantis will have a dual role at the school.

“He’s teaching English part time and the other half of the time he’s going to be the curriculum coach,” Rosado said. “He is the individual, with me, that we look at our instructional information and we look at how are we doing.

“Are we teaching to the rigors of the standards of the state? Once we figure that out in all the areas, then we start remediation for all the kids in those areas.”

Other additional teachers are Owen Corcoran in business and marketing, Mimi Cook, teaching calculus, Brian Franch, teaching math and engineering, Jason Hill, physical science, and Jacob Sparkman, teaching special education.

Hill and Sparkman and also on the football coaching staff.

Franch will take the engineering, or shop program, in a different direction, Rosado said.

“He is a math teacher and has a minor in engineering,” Rosado said. “He is changing our engineer program from what was pretty much day-to-day woodshop. Re-revamped it this summer, we sent him to training and we are going to run Project Lead the Way.”

According to its website, “Project Lead the Way” is a nonprofit organization that provides transformative learning experiences for K-12 students and teachers across the United States. Through pathways in computer science, engineering, and biomedical science, students learn problem-solving strategies, critical and creative thinking, and how to communicate and collaborate.”

Hill, Rosado said, comes highly recommended from Vincent High School.

“He’s going to be teaching for us in physical science,” Rosado said. “He brings a lot of knowledge on the science. His principal was raving about him on his teaching techniques, how he can gets to students, how he can relate to students and pass on that science knowledge.”