Please join us in welcoming our newest faculty members for the 2020-2021 academic year:
Ms. Kimberly Forquer – Senior Counselor. Kimberly Forquer, our newest counselor, is available to support the Dragons with college and/or career counseling and other needs. Kim is a native of Ohio who earned a B.A. in Early Childhood and Elementary Education (preK-8) from Grove City College in Grove City, Pennsylvania and a M.Ed. in Counselor Education (K-12) from Virginia Commonwealth University. After teaching Kindergarten for six years in Hanover County, she joined the counseling team at Meadowbrook High School in Chesterfield County, where she served as a school counselor for eight years and the school counseling coordinator for nine. Ms. Forquer’s background includes scheduling and supporting students in Dual Enrollment, Advanced Placement, and other advanced coursework, as well as serving as the college counselor to juniors and seniors in the International Baccalaureate and entrepreneurship specialty center programs. At Meadowbrook, she also enjoyed coaching the Scholastic Bowl/Battle of the Brains team for over ten years and learning about and celebrating the diverse cultural backgrounds that her students represented. In her free time, she teaches private violin lessons.
“Thank you to everybody who has already welcomed me so warmly to the MLWGS community, said Forquer. I am so delighted to be joining the counseling team as they continue to serve students with excellence, enthusiasm, and a whole lot of heart!”
Ms. NaKita Lee – Social Studies Department. NaKita Lee is a professional educator with over ten years of experience that comes to MLWGS from Chesterfield County Public Schools where she taught students of diverse learning abilities and academic aptitude in the subject areas of Virginia & US Government, Economics, and Advanced Placement US Government & Politics. NaKita earned her undergraduate degree from Virginia Union University in History and Political Science followed by a Master of Education from Virginia State University. NaKita also earned a Graduate Certificate in Gifted Education from Liberty University. NaKita was the 2012 Teacher of the Year at John Marshall High School and a 2019 Gold Star Teacher.
Ms. Lee is looking forward to working with the students and staff of MLWGS. Ms. Lee is excited about facilitating critical thinking, engaging minds, listening to questions, asking questions, encouraging risks, cultivating dreams, learning from her students, and supporting MLWGS students, families, and staff.
Ms. Suzanne Moore Nguyen – Science Department. Ms. Nguyen is delighted to bring her combination of laboratory and field research experience to her Chemistry classroom at Maggie Walker. After receiving her Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Geology from the College of William and Mary, she worked for Old Dominion University and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation testing water quality in the Chesapeake Bay. She relocated to Charlottesville, where she worked as a research scientist at UVA in the Department of Pathology studying cancer cell signaling pathways. She received her first Master’s in Environmental Engineering from the University of Virginia, studying phytoremediation of heavy metals, and her second Master’s in Chemistry from the University of North Carolina – Wilmington, with an emphasis on clinical laboratory research. She has most recently taught Biology, Chemistry, and Foundations (of Environmental Science) for the Chesapeake Bay Governor’s School at the Bowling Green campus. She also has served as an adjunct Chemistry instructor for Germanna (current), J. Sargeant Reynolds, and Rappahannock Community Colleges.
“I believe students learn best by doing, by connecting what they know to what they see and building their understanding from first-hand experiences, said Nguyen. It is my goal to create a classroom environment where questions are encouraged and mistakes are celebrated as opportunities to learn.”
Mr. Adam Rotche – Science Department. Adam Rotche comes to MW from Blacksburg High School in Blacksburg, Virginia, meaning his summer includes a move to Richmond. He’s a newbie to RVA! At BHS Adam taught AP Environmental Science, AP Seminar, Honors Chemistry, and Ecology. Adam was also the head and assistant coach of the school’s VHSL Scholastic Bowl team for four years as well as the head debate coach his last year at BHS . He also has experience planning and leading students on ecotourism summer trips to countries of Costa Rica, the Galapagos, Peru, and Belize. Adam earned both his Bachelor of Science and Masters of Education degrees at the College of William and Mary.
When asked about his interests, Rotche stated, “in my free time I love to hike and rock climb when the weather is good. On rainy days you can find me sipping a cup of tea and reading anything from comic books to classic lit. Other than my big backpacking trip, I’ve spent my coronavirus isolation doing New York Times crossword puzzles, birdwatching, running, and of course honing in on the perfect loaf of sourdough bread!”
“After spending years in the mountains and my summer hiking the John Muir Trail in California, said Rotche, I’m excited to be moving to The River City and to join the Maggie Walker family!”
