Many know Ms. Smith now as a knowledgeable and dependable AP English Language and Composition teacher. With 20 years of experience under her belt—18 of which were at Lake—and degrees in history, media, theatre and film, she boasts a strong repertoire of information. Qualifications aside, what interests her?

Imagine holding a book that once inspired the works of William Shakespeare. Ms. Smith owns pages from Holinshed’s Chronicles, a 450-year-old comprehensive history of England, Scotland, and Ireland from which Shakespeare drew material for his historical plays. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter even mentions it in passing. Spotting the Chronicles in an iconic context and thinking, ‘I have a copy!’ of literal history was a captivating feeling for Ms. Smith.

450-year-old pages from Holinshed’s Chronicles.

Along the same vein, for many bookworms, owning a first-edition copy of one of their favorite books is a dream come true. Ms. Smith’s favorite novels include The Trumpet of the Swan by E. B. White, The Count of Monte Cristo, and A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, the latter of which she’s read over 20 times! For older works such as those by Dickens, the first editions were compiled from monthly newspaper publications. From collector to collector, cherished stories are passed, and one such edition is currently being cared for by Ms. Smith.

Ms. Smith’s copy of 1st-edition Charles Dickens.

But it’s not just about books. A piano from the 1800s sits in her home, accompanied by a dining table dating back to the early 1900s, among other objects. These items aren’t just antiques; they carry the memories of past generations, and the love of her late mother, who also enjoyed collecting them. Growing up in a house full of antiques, Ms. Smith developed an appreciation for older furniture from an early age.

Her mother’s influence extended into Ms. Smith’s love of tea. For a long time, Ms. Smith believed coffee tasted sweet due to her mother’s habit of adding “sugar and powdered cream.” She didn’t like the taste, but she liked iced tea, so she would drink it hot and “pretend it’s like coffee.”

Ms. Smith also loves traveling, and her love of traveling eventually brought her to London, where she truly began to appreciate the culture of tea—of slowing down and really enjoying the drink—because, “you can’t drink it fast. It’s not something that one really chugs for caffeine. And if you get really fancy teacups, you just feel fancy.”

French Revolution money from a visit to George Washington’s house.

Fountain pens are another source of joy. From buying disposable pens in high school because she thought they were “cool,” to receiving her first “adult” fountain pen as a gift, Ms. Smith relishes the uniqueness of each and every pen. “The nibs are different, the ink is different, the weight is different, and I write a lot. And if I’m going to write a lot, why not write with pens that make me happy?”

It’s this joy in the little things—of books, tea, and fountain pens—and love of history, stemming from heartwarming childhood experiences, that make Ms. Smith inadvertently an excellent carrier of it, inspiring hundreds of students each year.