About The Teacher

NAME: Mrs. Donna Clarke

SCHOOL: St. Bernadette Elementary School

CLASS: Grade 7

SCHOOL PHONE: 301-593-5611


About The Teacher

I have been teaching at St. Bernadette School since 1983. This will 
be my 35th year of teaching and I still love to come to school.  I have 
taught 6th, 7th and 8th grade, as well as 1st grade.  I have also taught 
high school 9-12.  I enjoy the Junior High and am particularly pleased to 
be teaching 6th, 7th and 8th grade Social Studies.  I am a graduate of St. 
Bernadette School, The Academy of the Holy Names and the University of 
Maryland with a BA in Education. I enjoy teaching history because we can all 
learn so much from the past. I love to read and as a child, my mother had to 
take the flashlight away from me as I read in bed under the covers. I am one 
of the few people who still lives in the same house as I did when I was a 
little girl and attends the same school, St. Bernadette, in the community of 
Woodmoor and am happy to be a lifelong resident.  My favorite hobbies are 
any type of needlework, sewing, reading, crossword puzzles, Sudoku puzzles 
and watching "Law and Order" (especially the RERUNS!).I love continuing my 
education. I have attended many workshops and have done graduate work at the 
University of Maryland. I have also attended the DI workshops in Las Vegas 
and Columbus, Ohio, due to the generosity of the HSA. I took a graduate 
course at Trinity College on Inclusion and am eager to 
implement what I have learned. I was honored and humbled in 2008 at the 
Parish Anniversary by being chosen Outstanding Senior Parishioner for my 25 
years of service to my second home, St. Bernadette. Learning new ways to 
engage all students is exciting. One of my favorite sayings is, "You have to 
learn something new every day."  I take my own advice.  I have recently 
become a  great fan of country music.  "Live Like You Were Dying", is my 
absolute favorite song because of this line: 

"Like tomorrow was a gift and you have eternity to think about what you'd do 
with it, what did you do with it, what did I do with it, what would I do 
with it..."  

Please consider each day as a gift and know that you have the power to do 
anything you want with it.  Use it for the service of God and all things 
will be possible.

Mission

Mrs. Clarke's mission for her class is to instill in her students a passion 
for history old and new and love of events from the past.  Dead people are 
among some of the most interesting subjects in the entire world.