Mrs. Cornelia Scribner, a teacher new to Collegedale Academy this year, was born in Europe — Romania to be exact.

Her parents owned their own photography studio in Brasov; that’s where she got her zeal for taking pictures. She has a penchant for capturing a moment to be relished at a later time.

Mrs. Scribner has two sisters: Sperantza (her American name is Hope), who lives in Orlando, Florida, with her family, and Rozalia, who lives in Chicago, Illinois, with her family. She had a brother, but he died during his first year of life; she wishes that she could have gotten to know him because she’s always wanted a brother.

The Scribners became the tightly knit family they are today when Mrs. Scribner was only four years old. At that time, Mrs. Scribner, her mother, and her sister Hope escaped to America.

The book Hope in Present Danger tells the story of their dedication and how God performed miracle after miracle.

Mrs. Scribner loves the fact that the book is nonfiction because it’s her favorite genre, and the book shows how active God is, even in our modern world.

One of the most challenging obstacles Mrs. Scribner had to overcome was the language barrier — she didn’t speak any English. While learning it, she fell in love with it and wanted to help others who struggled to grasp it.

“I think it is vital for a teacher to emphasize and understand the perspective of the students that he or she teaches. The struggle is real for many students, and it is music to my ears to hear students attest that they actually understand a grammatical concept for the first time . . . that they realize that their vocabulary acquisitions [have] helped them write more effectively, that they engage in reading a myriad of things, [and] that they are more confident in their communication with others. Yes, it’s supremely thrilling,”  Scribner said.

Mrs. Scribner is unconventional in her teaching approach, but it has proved to be highly effective. Two students under her tutelage received a perfect score on their ACT and the privilege of receiving free tuition to any university of their choice.

Over the years, Mrs. Scribner has accomplished many goals. During high school she was part of the track team, debate team, and the music touring group. She started teaching piano lessons when she was sixteen years old, she taught art classes at GCA, she was part of a singing group called Vision, she won awards for writing, and she has a voracious appetite for reading and learning. From her extensive travels, Italy won her heart because of the art, scenery, people, and food. She loves the countryside of Assisi.

Zephaniah 3:17, Mrs. Scribner’s favorite Bible text, says, “The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”

“It’s my extremely humbling to think about GOD — the Creator of the world — delighting Himself over me. WOW! This impacts my prevailing attitude each day . . . The fact that He is mighty to save me from whatever it is I can potentially go through is AMAZING! I’ve been through some challenges where this text was my anchor,” Scribner said.