At the end of this year, teacher Señora Soud will be retiring. Señora Soud said, “I will miss the students, and I will miss some of my colleagues.” One of her favorite parts of Bolles is enjoying the events we have year-round. Soud revealed, “seeing all the scholars from ninth grade up to 12th grade and seeing where the seniors are going to college, I always enjoy that.”

Soud gained her passion for teaching Spanish in college. Soud stated, “My father told me when I went to college, he said, you should keep studying what you’re good at.” She continued to take Spanish throughout college, furthering her passion.

Throughout all 41 years, she has taught Spanish. She revealed, “When I first started teaching, a person would go on a trip, and they bring back a bunch of magazines they bought in the country.”

“Just like the Jacksonville Jaguares, it’s always been Bolles.” – Sra. Soud

As a teacher, Soud has experienced how teaching Spanish has changed. “The technology has really helped in terms of speaking and listening.”

She also elaborated on the expansion of technology in the Spanish department. Soud stated, “You can do things at home, there is much more flexibility. Although, there’s still a value in just having people just speak in class.”

Soud thought about retiring last year, however, felt it was the wrong time. Soud said, “COVID really was hard on a lot of teachers. I didn’t want to retire right after COVID because I wanted to retire after having a normal year.”

The time has finally come for Soud to retire, and she is ready. Soud states, “I want to spend some time with my granddaughter. And then I want to travel a lot. And I want to read a lot.” She also wants to keep her connections with Bolles by subbing every now and then.

Finally, after working for 41 years at Bolles, Soud reveals, “It’s always been Bolles.”