English teacher Emily Wells,  Spanish teacher Michael Jones-Gomez, and science teacher Jonathan Chung are three of Rockville’s newest staff members for the 2023-2024 school year. Together they hope to bring enthusiasm to the RHS community and create exciting new environments for their students. 

Emily Wells: English Teacher

Wells taught at Takoma Park Middle School before making the change to high school, and she believes teaching high school is more her style. She teaches IB HL Language and Literature, English 9, and English 11.

“I’ve really liked it a lot better than middle school; middle school is crazy,” she said. “High school seems a little bit more relaxed.”

Wells originally became a teacher to make students experience better than her own.

“I got into teaching because I hated school a lot. My school experience was just so bad,” she said. “So I figured that I could make school better for somebody else.”

One of Wells’s goals for this year is to get students to read as many books as possible. 

“I just want people to learn,” Wells said. “I want [students] to read…because reading a book is very powerful.”

Wells wants her students to know that she loves cooking shows, reality TV, and reading in her free time. 

“A book that I also really enjoy is The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins.”

Micheal Jones-Gomez: Spanish Teacher

Gomez began teaching in his home state of Kentucky before moving to Maryland. He teaches Spanish 2 and 4 at RHS. When Gomez came across the listing for a Spanish teacher at Rockville High School and accepted it because of its close proximity to Washington, DC.

“I really fell in love with Washington, DC,” Gomez said. “It’s one of my favorite cities.”

One of Gomez’s goals for this year is to create a relatable environment in his classes where students can feel free to express themselves. 

“I was in high school 10 years ago,” Gomez said, “So, we grew up with similar things. I had Instagram, I had Snapchat, I had Spotify.”

Gomez’s favorite hobbies include: listening to music, attending concerts, and music festivals. Some of his favorite artists and groups are BTS and Beyonce. Gomez emphasizes that he hopes he can relate to students and support them through the year. 

“I think I can understand where my students come from a lot better than maybe some older teachers can just because we have more similar lived experiences,” Gomez said.

Jonathan Chung: Science Teacher

After teaching for four years at Winston Churchill High School, Chung felt he needed a change. He was a freshman biology teacher and was proud to see his freshmen grow up and graduate, but was also sad to see them go. 

I saw my freshmen grow up and graduate,” Chung said. “I said, I need something new.”

Chung hopes to create a positive experience for all of his students. He originally started teaching to give back to the community.

“[The students] bring this energy with them, this positive energy, and definitely coworkers—they’re so knowledgeable and so willing to help,” he said, “It’s been a lot of work adjusting to a new school, and so far it’s been a great experience.”

Chung has been a wedding DJ for over 10 years, which is one of his favorite hobbies. He is very invested in helping his students find something they are passionate about, whether it’s a goal or an interest.

“I want my students to find a self-motivated inner passion, it doesn’t even have to be about school, but something they are passionate about,” Chung said.

Michael Gomez, Emily Wells, and Jonathan Chung have high hopes for this school year. Each teacher wants to help students become the best they can be.