Staff and students have welcomed new chemistry teacher Katy Venter to Gloucester High School.

Venter began her career as a medicinal chemist, working in a lab at Bristol Myers Squibb. She then transitioned to teaching when she had her young children.  Before teaching chemistry at Gloucester High School, she taught middle school physical science which has “ “all the best of chemistry and physics without being dragged down by complex math,” Venter said.  She also teaches classes at Salem State University. 

However, after teaching at the middle school and college levels, Venter favors teaching high school the most. 

“It’s a really remarkable time in their lives,” Venter said. “They are using more complex math, more engaging and critical thinking.”

Venter earned a B.A. from Temple University, and her Masters degree in medicinal chemistry while attending Youngstown State University in Ohio and is currently working on her dissertation for a PhD in educational administration at the University of Massachusetts. 

While she was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she moved to Massachusetts in 2008 with her husband and children due to a job opportunity for her spouse, and has resided here for 15 years. 

Mrs. Venter was able to indulge in her passion for travel with several trips to Europe, numerous islands, and Canada once her children matured, and her daughter notably went off to college in England pursuing the same degree as her mother.

Notably, Venter was inspired by her previous chemistry teacher, who was known for her “excessively patient” approach and her drive to push her students to learn and achieve. 

“She really understood what it took to lie outside of your stereotypical scientist,” Mrs. Venter said. “Growing up I didn’t know any scientists, but I grew up to be a scientist and I think a lot of that had to do with her.”