You may notice a few new faculty faces floating around. One of them is Latin teacher, Magister Johnson. On Wednesday, September 13th, the Echo got a chance to sit down and ask him some questions.

Echo: What are your hobbies and interests outside of school?
Magister Johnson: Well, I like to hike, and I like to read a lot, both fiction and nonfiction. I like music; I play some instruments, including the saxophone.

Echo: Have you taught before this?
MJ: Yes. I taught north of Boston for a few years, then in New York for a year.

Echo: What inspired you to teach latin?
MJ: I sort of accidentally started teaching. I had intended to do graduate work in history. I studied history as an undergrad and needed a job out of undergrad, so I started teaching, and loved it. I had always been interested in ancient history, and that kind of led me into the classics, but initially it was history that I was interested in. I took latin as a high schooler, and I took latin as an undergrad, but then it was because I was teaching that I began to really just fall in love with the language itself.

Echo: What drew you to the Berkshires? Have you been here before?
MJ: Yeah, so I lived in the Albany area during high school, and so I went to school in the Boston area, and so I always would drive through the Berkshires. And I just loved the mountains. There were just too many people in Boston, so I wanted to travel west.

Echo: And how are you enjoying Williamstown?
MJ: Oh, I love it! I’ve gone on some hikes. It’s great.

Echo: What do you think about Mount Greylock? Obviously you are coming in in the middle of construction; what’s that like?
MJ: I’m excited. I think a lot of people are excited about the new building too. I think when I came in I was told it was a good time because everyone was in the middle of a transition, so it would be easier to have my first year when everyone was kind of up in the air. I’m really excited to be a part of this, this community. It seems like a great place. Other teachers have been very kind and welcoming.

Finally, what’s your spirit animal?
MJ: My spirit animal is a wallaby, but I don’t even really know what that is!