Amanda Leighton is Stuart’s new biology teacher, and while she is new to this school, she is far from a beginner in the field of biology.

Ms. Leighton has been teaching biology in public schools for 20 years, so there is a substantial adjustment to the all-girls, let alone private school atmosphere. She was more than excited when the opportunity came along, and believes teaching in a different environment will be a meaningful experience for her. 

Ms. Leighton describes her time at Stuart so far as “phenomenal in every way I could describe it. The amount of support that I have from other teachers and administration–I’ve never experienced that in my 20 years. Everybody is extremely professional.”

Currently Ms. Leighton is teaching freshman biology, AP bio, and forensics, and her love for biology goes way back. She had a science teacher for two years in high school who “sparked a love of the biological sciences and I never turned back from it.” As the year continues, Ms. Leighton hopes to be the teacher that makes her students fall in love with science.

Outside of the classroom, Ms. Leighton enjoys baking with her daughter, learning fun history facts from her son, doing hot yoga, and watching sci-fi thrillers. Her all-time favorite movie is The Nightmare Before Christmas (and to end the on-going debate, she believes this a Christmas movie).  

In this coming year, Ms. Leighton is looking forward to watching her students learn and grow in their science journey, and incorporating genetics labs–her favorite aspect of biology–into the classroom.