If you walk into the physics lab on the bottom floor of Geier, you will most likely see worms crawling on the desks, hundreds of pieces of colorful confetti on the floor, or beakers full of colorful liquids.
Those are some of the best parts of being in a class taught by upper school science teacher, Mrs. Cuppia.
Cuppia teaches AP Biology, AP Environmental Science, and college prep Environmental Science to juniors and seniors. She is a thoughtful, organized teacher who cares deeply about her students’ learning and helps them to be successful and engaged in her class.
Cuppia is not a new face to Mount Pisgah. She has been teaching here for ten years, and has two children who attend Mount Pisgah, Maddie Cuppia (11th) and Mason Cuppia (8th).
Cuppia got her Masters in Science in Cell and Molecular Biology from Northwestern University, and her Masters degree in Teaching from Emory University. Her favorite part of working on her Masters was getting to be a teaching assistant and training people who worked in the research labs, and this is when she decided she wanted to become a science teacher.
“I taught a small group for their breakout labs that accompanied the lectures, most of which actually turned out to be very similar to labs for AP Biology,” said Cuppia.
Cuppia also had a great experience with her own AP Biology teacher, leading her to become a great AP Biology teacher herself by pushing her students to be their best.
“He was a great educational mentor and always challenged me. He refused to just give me the answer but instead challenged me to ask more questions and figure it out on my own.”
Science is a difficult subject to understand, especially at the AP level, and it takes an amazing teacher to help students grasp complex concepts and processes.
“I like the challenge and satisfaction that comes from understanding complicated topics and trying to help someone else understand. I hope whoever I’m helping appreciates the process of approaching a complex topic and then the feeling of accomplishment that comes from understanding,” said Cuppia.
Some of Cuppia’s favorite memories from teaching at Mount Pisgah come from our annual retreat Sharptop Cove and all of the amazing people she has met from working here.
“Hiking the mountain and staying to help with work crew with the seniors especially hold some of my favorite memories,” said Cuppia.
Outside of the classroom, Cuppia enjoys traveling, going for walks, watching HGTV and Food Network shows, and baking.
