High School Science Teacher Will Teach in China Next Year

Whitefish Bay High School science teacher Judy Weiss will teach physics in China next school year.

At Whitefish Bay, Weiss teaches biology, two engineering classes and oversees the school's . She previously supervised the school's SMART Team, which is a biomolecular modeling program run through the Milwaukee School of Engineering. Prior to beginning her teaching career in 2003, she worked 20 years in the manufacturing engineering field.

On Wednesday night, the Whitefish Bay School Board approved Weiss' leave of absence request for the 2012-13 school year, as she has been offered a chance to teach AP Physics at Chongqing No. 1 Middle School International Department in Chongqing, China.

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Weiss said she does not know Chinese and will teach the class in English. She also said the Chinese school has expressed an interest in forming an exchange program with Whitefish Bay in the future.

Superintendent Mary Gavigan said the district was very supportive of Weiss' request.

"We know this is a wonderful opportunity for her and we look forward to her returning and the benefits she will bring to our students and staff when she returns," Gavigan said.

Weiss will be replaced by biology teacher Katie Brown, who previously taught at New Berlin Eisenhower. Brown will need to undergo Project Lead the Way training this summer to lead the engineering classes. A new teacher will fill in for Brown's biology class on a one-year basis.