CM’s newest math instructor Alyssa Spa has wanted to be a teacher since she was little.

Like many kids, she used to play “school” in her basement with her stuffed animals and she loves “seeing the lightbulb go off in a student’s mind.”

Spa attended Civic Memorial High School and graduated in 2008. Her favorite memory of her high school years was winning state with her cheer team her junior year. She attended SIUE to get her degree in mathematics and her teaching license. This is her eighth year teaching. She previously taught numerous math classes at Roxana and Father McGivney Catholic High School.

Spa also has a very close family. She and her husband (whom she married on super Pi Day, 3/14/15) spend every Sunday at her parents’ house with their children for “Sunday Funday.”

The thing Spa is most looking forward to this school year is homecoming week. It was her favorite part of high school as a CM student and she can’t wait to experience it as a teacher.