Retired Faculty –Where Are They Now?

By Debby Jennings

Janie Garrett: LS and MS Spanish 1999-2020

Janie believes there is a purpose to each day, and she continues to make an important difference. She is the Director of International Friends at First Baptist Church in Arlington. As part of that program, Janie teaches weekly ESL and cultural and social skills to adult immigrants from China, Iran, Mexico, Honduras and Venezuela. She also volunteers on her church’s Bereavement and Care Committees.

In recent years, Janie and her husband, Bob, have visited Norway and the Netherlands and traveled to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. They plan to visit Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Cuba in November. The couple travels frequently to see their three daughters and grandchildren: Janelle works in an international school in Shanghai; Rebecca ’99 teaches in Mansfield; and Eli ’01 works for Unilever and lives in New Jersey.

Janie says one of her favorite memories is when students return from college and say, “Senora Garrett, I have a major or minor in Spanish.” She also fondly remembers the Middle School Awesomeness Initiative class when she taught students to cook foods from other countries. Janie was well known for her paella recipe and for preparing Victoria sponge cake for the faculty.

When asked for some words of wisdom she might share with former students, Janie implores students to “look around you; there are people who need help. See them, serve them, and let kindness be your superpower.”