Foriegn Language

Jessica Bard, Spanish 1
Ms. Bard is enthusiastic about the prospects of teaching Spanish at KIPP Renaissance High School.  Having grown up in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Ms. Bard attended Kalamazoo College, where she majored in Economics and Business.  While an undergraduate, she organized programs that served bilingual students within Kalamazoo Public Schools and acted as editor of the college student publication, The Index.  She spent a year in Cáceres, Spain, studying Spanish literature and Portuguese language, in addition to teaching English as a foreign language.  Upon graduation, Ms. Bard joined Teach For America and began teaching Spanish and English/Language Arts at St. Bernard Middle School.

Lean Morton-Gittens, Spanish 2

Ms. Morton-Gittens (Ms. M-G) joins KIPP Renaissance High School as a Spanish teacher. Originally, from Trinidad and Tobago, Ms. Morton-Gittens graduated from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas with a Bachelor of Science in Business, Economics, and Spanish. As an undergraduate, she served as Secretary for Alpha Kappa Psi and Senator for the Association of Student Representatives. She spent a semester abroad in Seville, Spain, and fell in love with the country’s culture and history. Upon graduation, Ms. Morton-Gittens returned to Spain, where she became a Language and Culture Assistant at I.E.S. Albayzín, a bilingual high school in Granada. This experience led her to complete her Master of Arts in Teaching, once again at Trinity University. She has most recently taught Spanish at KIPP University Preparatory High School.

Laura Owen, Latin 1
Laura Owen comes aboard the KIPP Renaissance team as a Social Studies teacher. A 2001 valedictorian of Neville High School in Monroe, Ms. Owen earned a bachelor’s in Latin at LSU,  where she was awarded the William M. Clarke award for Excellence in Classics. In college she volunteered with the Louisiana Junior Classical League, assisting in coordinating their annual state convention for high school students. After graduation, she joined Teach for America and taught 6th grade English and Reading in Baton Rouge and later became a founding teacher at EBR Lab Academy. While at EBR Lab, Ms. Owen taught World Geography, Latin I and II, and sponsored the school's Junior Classical League chapter.  In 2009 she earned National Board Certification in Social Studies-History for Adolescence and Young Adulthood and has since served as a Candidate Support Provider for other teachers undergoing the National Board Certification process. Ms. Owen volunteers with the Baton Rouge Youth Coalition, mentoring high school seniors through the college selection, application, and scholarship process.