OUR TEACHERS
George Drumwright - French
George became interested in learning French at age 5 after hearing a French friend’s mother calling her children to dinner. This eventually set off a chain reaction of interest in languages: German, Japanese, Cherokee, Lakota, Latin, Danish. He taught Japanese, French, and Latin in middle and high schools for 25 years. George is retired from teaching school but loves to read Latin and read and speak French. He is also active as a church organist and music director.
Marianne Gomis - French for French Teachers
Originally from Sénégal, Dr. Marianne Gomis is an expert French teacher with many years of experience in the classroom. She and Anna first met grading AP exams in Cincinnati. She currently serves as a high school assistant principal in the Los Angeles Unified School District, overseeing counseling services and supporting the World Language department. She ensures students receive academic and social-emotional support while advancing high-quality, culturally responsive language instruction that reflects the district’s diversity.
Committed to educational equity, Dr. Gomis draws on her multilingual background to promote teaching practices that honor students’ cultural and linguistic identities. She also contributes to I.T.E.A.C.H Global, advocating for equity-driven teaching worldwide. Above all, she values family and community, striving to model integrity, perseverance, and service as a leader and mother to Dominique and Erika.
Fatou Coulibaly - French
Dr. Fatou Coulibaly has taught French in Montgomery County Public Schools, at Montgomery College, at Sidwell Friends, and at Edmund Burke School. She is currently teaching at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School. Fatou was born and raised in Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire). She holds a PhD in Political Anthropology from EHESS (Ecole Des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales) in Paris, France. Fatou founded and led La Farandole, an after school program company teaching cooking and singing as well as French conversation classes for middle and high school students. Fatou believes the best way to teach is to ignite the flame of curiosity in the minds of students.
Anna Gilcher - French (Co-Director, Elevate Education Consulting)
Anna is a teacher educator, trainer, & French teacher who is committed to having every world language classroom be the place where culturally-responsive teaching happens through Comprehensible Input (CI). With a PhD in French from Duke University, Anna is an intellectually engaged and heart-centered language educator who specializes in teaching French and training language teachers to create a more joyful, effective, and equitable classroom environment. Anna works with her students—adults and children alike—to weave a web of connections, bringing language, culture, story, and learning to life. Anna has taught French since 1993 & has taught middle school, high school, and college. She has also taught French to students aged 2 to 80! You can read more about Anna here.
Rachelle Adams - Spanish (Co-Director, Elevate Education Consulting)
Rachelle is a teacher educator, trainer, and Spanish teacher who is committed to having every world language classroom be the place where culturally-responsive teaching happens through Comprehensible Input (CI). Her passion for language and culture is what led her to the classroom. She loves teaching youth and adults alike, and opening doors to the kinds of cross-cultural dialogues our global community requires. As a committed CI-based teacher and trainer, Rachelle ensures that each of her students is able to build deep language acquisition faster, and have fun in the process. Rachelle has been teaching Spanish since 2003 & has taught Pre-K - Adult learners. You can read more about Rachelle here.