Welcome to the 2020-2021 School Year!

Welcome to the 2020-2021 School Year!

Welcome back for another exciting year at Salina Intermediate! I am so excited to be back at Salina and to have your students in my class for the next year!

My name is Leslie Riehl and I will be the ASD Classroom Teacher this year at Salina. This is my 11th year working within the district. I have my degree in history from Wayne State University. I got my teaching certificate with endorsements in Elementary Education, ESL and Social Studies from Schoolcraft College and am working on my ASD endorsement currently.

When I’m not in the classroom, I’m probably at the pool watching a swim meet or planning a swim meet. My son, Brent, is an 11th grader at Edsel Ford and a distance swimmer. Go T-Birds!

That is a picture of Brent and I before he went to Edsel Ford’s Homecoming Dance last year. Now he’s taller than me.

I also am very active in the local USA swim club, the Dearborn Dolphins (DRD). Unfortunately, COVID-19 restrictions cancelled many of our summer traditions. It was supposed to be the 50th Annual Freeze or Fry Meet at Dunworth Pool. I was really looking forward to being the Meet Director and trying to have more than the 791 swimmers from all over Michigan and Canada that we had at the 49th Annual Meet. I can’t wait for next summer, so I can have the opportunity to share our amazing city and showcase what an amazing community we have for swimming, how beautiful our neighborhoods are and how welcoming our residents are!

We also have a dog. He is a Bouvier des Flanders named Cody. When he came home, he weighed 14 lbs. Now, he’s 96 lbs.! He spent all summer inside in front of the air conditioning. He does not like the heat!

Bouvier des Flanders Dog sitting in grass
Bouvier des Flanders are a dog breed that comes from Flanders, Belgium. They have been used to work on farms and even as police dogs. Cody prefers laying in the grass and looking around the backyard.

I spent my summer in my garden. I grew tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, kale, strawberries and many types of herbs. The one big surprise I had was the sunflowers. I have not been able to grow sunflowers in a really long time. I grew some 12′ sunflowers! They are still growing. It’s really amazing!

Sunflowers and wildflowers next to a house
Mammoth Sunflowers grew to be over 12′ tall. This particular variety may grow to be 14′ feet tall.

If I have any free time after that, I love reading, cooking, traveling and exploring, football, baseball and most of all ice hockey. I got a bearded dragon named Kanan that will be our class pet when we’re back in the classroom permanently. Kanan is around 6″ long. When he’s full grown, he could be 2′ long!

Baby bearded dragon on green substrate mat
Bearded dragons are a type of lizard that comes from the deserts of Australia.

Rounding out my menagerie are some fish. The most impressive is the tiger oscar. He’s named Smaug because of his orange and black scales. He may live to be 20 years old. When we got him, he wasn’t even an inch long but now is close to 14″ long!

Tiger Oscar
Tiger Oscars are a tropical fish that is native to the Amazon River Basin. They are a popular fish for aquariums.

I’m really excited to embark on this 8th grade journey with your students and can’t wait for the year to begin! There will be many challenges as we all adjust, but I am confident that we will be able to work together, grow together, learn new things and have the best year ever!