Mrs. Ruiz Diaz
Mrs. Ruiz Diaz, our ESOL and high school Spanish teacher, has been teaching for 21 years and has been doing a wonderful job. She seeks the best from her students and is always on the search for better ways to teach. Ever since she could remember, she has wanted to be a teacher. She attended high school in Dadeville, near Stockton Lake, and graduated from there. She then went on to attend College of the Ozarks, where she got her Bachelor’s of Arts. Then she attended the University of St. Louis’s Madrid campus to study Spanish. Finally, she attended Southeast Missouri State working towards her Master’s in ESOL, which she did receive. She and her husband, Fermin, had one baby boy, Jere, who is now a junior in high school and who still loves his momma very much. When she’s not working, she loves to spend time at home with her family. She loves cooking and, like many others, is a big fan of eating. She also likes it when her husband takes her shopping, or even when she takes herself. Mrs. Ruiz Diaz really enjoys teaching at Verona. She likes that it’s such a close, small community with diversity. She could easily spend another 20 years working here.
Anahi Ortega
Anahi Ortega is making a good name for herself and she is only a freshman in high school. She is super sweet, nice, and respectful to everyone in the school. She likes making friends and is also very eager to learn. She plans on going to college to become a veterinarian. She already takes care of four dogs and two mice at home. She has a small loving family consisting of her mom and dad, her older brother, and her younger sister. Anahi likes attending Verona because it has a very chill, cool environment. It is quiet and it’s a small town with lots of good people. She loves the teachers; her favorite being Mrs. Lechner-Crosby because she is sweet, kind, and always there for her.
