When you meet Christine Calabria, you immediately understand why rumors have it that her class is the least skipped during the day! Christine exudes joy, competence and a palpable passion for her students and teaching. Her energy is boundless as she chairs the Multilingual Department and teaches English Language Development, Math I and the PACE class, which is comprised of the newest English language learners.
Christine arrived at Olympic in 2022 after 17 years teaching sociology at Central Piedmont Community College. Born in New Jersey, she has lived in Charlotte since she was seven and hails from a long line of educators as her mom and brother are teachers and her grandfather was an assistant superintendent of schools. Christine graduated from UNC-G with a double major in sociology and psychology AND a double minor in dance and Spanish. She also holds two masters degrees, one in sociology and one in TESL (the teaching of English as a Second Language). While she was teaching at CPCC during the day, she also taught English to children in China in the middle of the night! Again, boundless energy!
Christine describes her classroom atmosphere as one where they like to joke around a lot, but they also get the job done. Her students typically score on the same level or close to the same level as native speaking counterparts on their Benchmarks and EOCs for Math 1. They also are working hard to exceed the projected scores placed on them by the state and prove they are more than just a number.
Christine is the Olympic High School Foundation’s newest recipient of a scholarship that will enable her to pursue her National Board Certification. Her goal in undergoing the rigorous process is to eventually become a facilitator/master teacher. Usually, the process takes three years, but in true Christine Calabria fashion she will complete it in two. Certification requires Christine to deep dive into and reflect upon her teaching strategies by analyzing her lesson plans, recording and analyzing her classroom teaching, student work samples, taking exams and more.
Outside of school, Christine has three miniature schnauzers, enjoys Diamond Art, and is a true Barbie aficionado with over 3000 Barbies and attendance at the Barbie Convention each year!
The Foundation is pleased to be able to support such an energetic, devoted, passionate teacher who has captivated the hearts and minds of her students, some of whom refer to her as Mom. In gratitude to the Foundation, Christine says, “Thank you for helping my students grow even further.”