Spanish teacher Ellen Whitten retires
A key-stone of the language department, Ellen Whitten has decided to retire to spend time with her husband and travel to South America.
“I’m looking forward to gardening at home and traveling in depth with my husband,” Whitten said. “He would like to learn Spanish immersion style.”
Whitten originally worked part- time, before becoming a full time teacher in the department. She has also sponsored Spanish Honor Society, National Honor Society and Jewish Culture Club.
“It’s been an absolute joy being a part of the TJ community, and I’m grateful for such a supportive staff,” Whitten said.
Whitten’s students feel she’s unforgettable.
“Señora Whitten was by far the toughest teacher I’ve ever had. She also taught me more than almost any other teacher. Her rigorous instruction methods allowed me to learn more Spanish this year than I have in the last two,” freshman Ricky Hage said. “I’ll miss her.”

![Sitting on the bench, junior Bonna Koo and freshman Nick McGrorey act as their characters—Koo an immortal and McGrorey a time traveler—during the one act “Until We Meet Again” by senior Abeni Smith. Smith’s one act follows the Immortal and the Time Traveler, and their relationship’s evolution over time. “When I first read the script, it was a little confusing trying to figure out who I was,” Koo said. “So, we ended up doing some exercises after, [and] ran through the script a bunch of times. We had time to think about who our characters were. We formulate a characterization, [and] we all [have to] read each other. So, I found parts of my character when I read my partner's characterizations of her [character].”](https://www.tjtoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/first_0201-600x400.jpg)


![A group of juniors play “Clash Royale” on their phones during lunch. Lunch is the only time when phones are allowed to be out. “I think once we adapt to it, it's not going to be something we miss because [for] everyone moving forward, that'll have been the policy [since] middle school,” DNA science and biology teacher Aubrie Holman said.](https://www.tjtoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/IMG_6621-2-e1758016994220-600x479.jpeg)
![Art therapist Katherine Pedrick and senior Viola Pande pose for a picture in front of the art therapy banner at the Children’s National Hospital’s annual Sunflower Festival, where Pande distributed the art kits that she made for her Gold Award. “Art is so multifaceted,” Pande said. “Even though I'm doing physical art— and I think physical art is really therapeutic because you are painting or coloring—art can come in many different forms. I’m combining music and physical art in [my Gold Award]. Music has been a really helpful form of therapy for me throughout my high school years and throughout my life in general because I can pour my energy into something that's not school. It’s also creating something [that isn’t] physical or visual.”](https://www.tjtoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/viola-image-406x600.jpeg)