Thomas Pratz, the new Spanish teacher, is glad to be at Eastern. “I love it,” he said. “It’s an honor to be here. The administration and staff are very supportive and helpful. I’m very happy working here.”

  Born in Voorhees, Señor Pratz grew up in Franklinville, New Jersey. He attended Delsea Regional High School where his teachers inspired him to become a teacher.

   Señor Pratz wanted to work with young adults and educate them about the world and its languages. “The thing that got me into Spanish was going to Spain with my Spanish class in high school,” he said.

Señor Pratz graduated from Rowan University, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Spanish, education, and linguistics. At the moment, he is working on a Master’s Degree in Spanish Language and Cultures at the Universidad de Salamanca.

Pratz learned about the opening in the World Language department when other teachers had told him how phenomenal and well respected the school was.

When he is free, Señor Pratz likes to spend time with family and friends and travel. Pratz likes to go on road trips with his dad. His favorite activity with him is hunting. He also likes music, mostly classic rock. “I appreciate music because it’s true talent,” he said.

This is the Spanish teacher’s third year of teaching. Last year, he taught at Northern Burlington County Regional and the year before that, he was a long term substitute at Clearview Middle School in Mullica Hill.

  Pratz wants to make an impact on Eastern in the future. He would love to create a Spanish Club and take students to Spanish speaking countries during the summer. Señor Pratz would want his students to experience what he  experienced when he was in high school.

On his bucket list, Pratz wants to visit all of the Spanish speaking countries and buy a house in Southern Spain so he can live there for the summer. The architecture of Spain is his favorite.

Señor Pratz’s goal this year is very important to him. “I want to learn about the community,” he said, “to learn about the school and how things work here, and I want to learn about the student body and their backgrounds.”