RCHS World Languages

Adriana Velasquez was born in Bogotá, Colombia, and obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Los Andes University. After specializing in Business Administration in Spain, she came to the United States with her husband and son, where she operated her own business offering bookkeeping and income tax preparation services as a Registered Tax Preparer and a IRS-Certified Agent. In 2013, she graduated from Meredith College with a Master's of Arts in Teaching and has served elementary and middle school students at Maureen Joy Charter School.

Damien Sauzet is a French citizen. He relocated From France in 2017. He holds a "Maîtrise de Lettres modernes" from Blaise Pascal University in Clermont-Ferrand, France. He obtained the national certification to become a teacher in 2002 in France and has since been working in public middle and high schools, mainly in his native region of Auvergne. He enjoys sharing his language and culture with RCHS students and also gives a little bit of his time to the Alliance Française of Raleigh.

Mark Slattery served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guatemala from 1985 to 1987 in the fisheries program. It was there that he learned Spanish and developed an appreciation for Hispanic/Latin culture. He has traveled extensively throughout Central America. He taught in Orange county for twelve years before coming to RCHS. He received the B.A. in Journalism from Northeastern University in Boston and teaching certification in Spanish in his hometown of Framingham, MA.

Mary Grimes received a MA in Slavic Linguistics from the University of Pittsburgh in 1987. She graduated first in her college at the University of New Hampshire (her home state) with a dual major in Spanish and Russian. Mrs. Grimes has over fifteen years experience teaching ESL, Spanish and Russian in high schools and universities.

Petra Martignoni received her teacher’s diploma from the State Teachers College in Bern/Switzerland. Additionally she majored in Philosophy and minored in German Literature at the University of Bern/Switzerland. Before moving to the USA, Mrs. Martignoni taught for several years and traveled extensively, mainly in Asia and Europe.

Shannon Hess holds a BA in Spanish from Eastern University BA and for a Masters in Spanish Language and Culture from the University of Salamanca Spain. She is originally from Pennsylvania but has called Raleigh home since 2014. Ms. Hess first fell in love with Spain during a semester abroad in 2009 and decided to move there after college. She taught English in a small town in central Spain and then later decided to pursue her masters degree in Salamanca. Ms. Hess says she loves to travel and hopes to visit all Spanish speaking countries one day. She also enjoys running, reading, and baking.