Austin Kelley is the new charismatic Spanish teacher at Lake Shore High School for the 2021-2022 school year. 

Kelley states that “In 8th grade, I had an ‘Exploratory Language’ class, where we learned a little bit of German, Japanese, French, and Spanish. Of the 4, I felt the most comfortable with Spanish (since Dora the Explorer was my favorite show growing up).” So, in high school, he fell in love with Spanish. 

Kelley graduated from Utica High School in 2014, and he studied in Guadalajara, Mexico in 2016 for 2 weeks. Also, in 2017 he traveled to Spain and had an amazing experience speaking Spanish with native speakers. 

Kelley states, “I knew that whatever I decided to do in life, it had to be with the language.”

Being a teacher, he wants to show kids that the opportunities of knowing a second language are endless. 

Kelley elaborated that, “I never looked back!” after he learned Spanish. 

For students that have a hard time in Spanish, Kelley explained,  “Repetition is key. Sometimes they get sick of it, but if you don’t use it, you lose it”. 

He shows students that attention is needed for building skills. Kelley also says, “There are projections that say within the next few decades the United States will have the most Spanish speakers in the WORLD.” 

Kelley states, “Even just a little bit of Spanish can go a long way!”

If you want to learn more about the new Spanish teacher at Lake Shore High School, visit Kelley in room 104.