Modern Language Renee Pepper

¡Buenos días!

My name is Renee Pepper.  I’ve been teaching in Ankeny since 1998, so I’ve seen a lot of changes in the district since I began.  I have been a Hawk and am currently a Jag, but still work with the Hawks for our sister-city exchange.  I have taught Spanish I-V in the district.  I currently teach Spanish at Ankeny Centennial High School.  I have two remote classes for the 2020-2021 schoolyear – Spanish III with AHS & CHS students and 6th Grade Exploratory with Prairie Ridge students.

I graduated from Iowa State University with degrees in Spanish & French and education.  While there I studied in Cuernavaca, México, and Lyon, France.  I got my master’s degree from Kansas State University in English as a second language.  I have continued my education with Merrimack College in Massechusettes.  I have also spent a month studying in Madrid, Spain.  Travel is such an important part of learning about other cultures and languages.  It helps one become a more global citizen and grow as an individual.

I am the Centennial lead teacher for the Ankeny-Copán sister city exchange.  Our sister School is El Sistema Educativo Copán in Naucalpan, a “suburb” of Mexico City.  The program began in  1992 and I have been co-leading it since 2000.  Ankeny hosts students for two weeks in February.  Families are always amazed at how close they become to thier Mexican sibling/child in such a short time.  Bonds are formed that last a lifetime.  Ankeny students travel to Mexico for two weeks in March.  Students stay with families, attend school, and visit the pyramids of Teotihuacan with their host siblings as a group. Stduents get to see what life is like in a Mexican family, learn the importance of family in Mexican culture, and visit many different places in and around the city.  The wonder of seeing the old aztec culture fused into the current Mexican culture and the joy of watching the students realize that they can speak Spanish to native speakers is so uplifting for me!  Even more important is when students and famlies alike see that no matter where we live or what language we speak, we are all the same – human beings.  This is why I teach and lead the exchange!