THIS WEEK’S TEACHER FEATURE: MRS. ESPARZA

By MIKENZIE ROACH
B-Town Rundown Staff Reporter

BARTLETT HIGH SCHOOL— This week’s Teacher Feature is Bartlett English teacher Renee Esparza. Esparza, 31, was born in Rio, Wisconsin, has two younger brothers and is the mother of four daughters. Her daughters are Carina (4 months old), Clara (1 year old), Marley (3 years old) and Olivia (6 years old). She went to UW River Falls and got her Bachelor’s degree in journalism.

In 2010, she moved to Fairbanks, Alaska to work as a sports writer. While in Fairbanks, she met her now-husband, Daniel Esparza, who was a football coach at West Valley High School in Fairbanks at the time. When her husband got a job in Anchorage, she moved with him. 

Esparza claimed, “I like writing for sports the most, but journalism is dying out because of all the new technology.” 

So that’s when she decided to go to UAF to get her Master’s degree in education.

She started student teaching at Eagle River High School and later got hired at Bartlett in 2015. This school year, 2019-20, is the first year she was able to teach a journalism class. 

Esparza plans to move back to Wisconsin after this school year is over in hopes of getting another teaching job and eventually being able to retire comfortably. Her students have great admiration for her and describe her as funny, honest, passionate and understanding.