Ms. Denise Shovlin (soon to be known as Mrs. Denise Desmond) is a hardworking teacher of several courses at Downingtown West High School. Because of this, she is deserving of a teacher spotlight. From juggling a whole new world in Zoom due to COVID, a combination of in-person, hybrid, and cyber courses, a whole slew of students who are just as new to this model of learning as she is, and her personal life, she has made it clear that she is a force to be reckoned with.

To many students over five periods a day, Ms Shovlin is seen as a good teacher, kind mentor, and someone to trust. She teaches four periods of English a day, along with one elective course called Publications. When asked how COVID has affected her time at D-West, Ms. Shovlin stated the following: “COVID has taken the fun out of it; you can’t interact naturally over Zoom.” She also named her biggest Zoom pet peeve, sharing, “I hate the sound of that doorbell. I swear it’s given me PTSD.”

Having taught English for 15 years, Ms. Shovlin is now a master at the job. She manages to get work graded and returned to students in a timely manner while at school, and she seldom has to bring any home with her. Because of her speed and efficiency, she has managed to keep her personal life going strong simultaneously. She is a Disney World fanatic, and has been there at least 20 times! Her now-husband even planned to propose to her there, but his plans changed due to the COVID pandemic. Ms. Shovlin was married in 2020 and had a very small but happy wedding.  Starting in the 2021-2022 school year, Ms. Shovlin will be referred to as “Mrs. Desmond,” which she admits will be a big change and might take some time to get used to.

An out-of-school hobby Ms. Shovlin enjoys is axe throwing, but since COVID started she hasn’t felt comfortable re-joining the league. However, despite the issues COVID has brought into her life, Ms. Shovlin has remained a beacon of positive energy and has made herself fully available to her students and their needs. That’s just another one of the many things that make her so great; she is always selfless and ready to help her students. Downingtown Area School District and the students at Downingtown West are so incredibly lucky to have Ms. Shovlin as a member of their staff.