Meet Mrs. Ouyang!

Xi Ouyang recently moved to Scituate from Danbury, Connecticut, to pursue her love for Mandarin. Mrs. Zhou, the previous Mandarian teacher at Gates, recommended Ouyang consider entering the school environment. “Most of my friends live here, so I always wanted to move here,” explained Ouyang. “We have a very energetic atmosphere here, the staff is very cooperative and welcoming,” she added.

Ouyang also highlighted her passion for photography. The ocean and beach contribute to Ouyang’s love for the outdoors. What better place than Scituate to show off our beautiful town through the art of photography? Ouyang is also very interested in different cultures. “I practiced Tea Ceremony, a Chinese ceremony for tea, for 6 years,” she emphasized.

Ouyang is eager to continue her love for Mandarian and help her students grow in the language, as she grows to adapt to living in Scituate. She said, “I feel like we are all the same humans, but our cultural backgrounds make us unique.” 

Meet Mrs. Lesniak!

Samantha Lesniak transferred from the high school history department to an assistant principal position at Gates Middle School this past fall. Lesniak feels that working with younger students is more of a period of growth than during high school. She explained, “When I worked at the high school, a lot of students had already made up their minds about what path they wanted to take in life.” She believes the middle school environment gives her a greater opportunity to meet and connect with younger students, as well. 

Similar to Ouyang, Lesniak thinks the best thing about working at Gates is the people, saying, “The staff is super welcoming.”

When asked what her hobbies are, Lesniak responded, “Do children count?” She has two little kids whom she loves to take care of and spend time with. They like to go hiking and spending time on the beach. Lesniak said, “We basically just like to be outside!” 

Lesniak loves to travel. She and her husband went to Australia for their honeymoon and she has been backpacking through Europe. She also participated in a teacher exchange in the Philippines, where she was able to teach at three different schools. Lesniak said, “I have been to seven countries, and I want to continue to travel and bring my kids when they are older.” 

What is something really cool about Lesniak that most people don’t know? She has over 40 first cousins. Her mother is one of seven, while her father is one of nine. She said, “Our family gatherings have a lot of people, but are very fun!” 

Throughout this year at Gates, Lesniak hopes to get to know more students better: “I want to show them that assistant principals are not so scary,” she said. Lesniak is excited about the experience that Gates will bring her, and she is looking forward to the rest of the year.