Upper School Spanish Teacher Laura Agront-Hobbs is not new to the Olympic circuit. She qualified twice for the Olympic games and competed in 1984 in Los Angeles, representing Puerto Rico and participating in the high jump. That is why it should come as no surprise to students that Señora Agront-Hobbs is now preparing to compete in the 2024 Olympics. Señora Agront-Hobbs will be representing Puerto Rico again this time. “I live here in this country but my heart is in Puerto Rico,” Señora Agront-Hobbs said.
Señora Agront-Hobbs has been preparing every day for the Olympics and is feeling ready. “Oh my gosh, I have been training forever,” Señora Agront-Hobbs said. “I go every day to the track, I run, I lift weights, I do my drills, I meet with my coach. I have a team of doctors that work with me every day to make sure that I am in good condition, I am healthy and I don’t get hurt.” Students often wonder why it takes so long to get their grades back, but Señora Agront-Hobbs has a good excuse. “I work out in the morning before I come to school, and I work out after school, so this is very serious, and I am ready for this Olympics.”
“I am going for a medal because I love to compete,” Señora Agront-Hobbs said. “I am not expecting a medal, but I am expecting to be there and have a different experience you know than the one before.” Even though she does not expect a medal, Señora Agront-Hobbs certainly feels more prepared than she did last time. “It probably means a lot more to me now because I know what to expect, and I know I can handle it better because I am more mature,” she said. “I was just a little girl, a little bit naive. I didn’t know what to expect. Now that I have that experience, and I am older and more mature, I know it is going to be a lot different.”
Junior Katie Janko was initially shocked when she heard the news about Señora Agront Hobbs. However, she soon became excited when she realized that this probably meant less time in class and possibly less assignments. “As long as Señora is training for the Olympics, I think my workload will be much more manageable because I probably spend over half of my time studying Spanish,” she said.
However, she was disappointed to find out that Señora Agront-Hobbs will not be reducing the amount of classwork, tests or homework she will be giving her classes. “If I can work out twice a day, come here and teach, grade papers, create activities, go home, plan and take care of my family, they can handle the homework, so they will have homework everyday and I will grade my papers.”
While Janko was disappointed to hear this, she is dropping the matter. “I am hoping that if I don’t bug her about all of the work she will take me with her to Paris to watch the Olympics.”
Señora Agront-Hobbs hopes that her story will inspire all of her students and show them that anything is possible. “I hope that I can inspire my students to do what they want to do at any age because age is just a number, and there are no limits,” Señora Agront-Hobbs said. “You can do whatever you want to, but you have to work hard. You have to do your homework every day, and I have to train every day.”
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