Spanish teacher Jennifer Kettrick has been a teacher at FCHS for 12 years, but before she became a teacher she studied pre-med and majored in Spanish at the University Of Virginia. However, after struggling in a General Chemistry class her first semester she decided the pre-med path was not for her, and changed her focus to education.

Kettrick grew up in Southern California where she lived for her first ten years. She and her family moved to Arizona where she and her family grew to love fresh water sports, including boating and jet skiing on the Colorado River and Lake Havasu. Her family moved to Virginia the summer before she started high school, leading to her graduation from FCHS in 1999, and her graduation from the University Of Virginia with her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in 2004.

Kettrick said she decided to become a Spanish teacher because Spanish came naturally to her, and because she had fond memories of how her high school Spanish teacher inspired her.

Beyond the classroom, Kettrick has been married to her husband, Jimmy, since June 2021. They have two kids: Sophia (6) and Jonathan (2). Jonathan was born without a fibula in his left leg, so their family has to travel to Baltimore, MD, regularly to see a specialist there. Jonathan had his first reconstructive surgery last year to straighten his tibia. After seven months of having an external fixator with pins in his bone, he finally got it removed recently, and will eventually transition to an AFO (a custom-made brace to support his foot and accommodate his length discrepancy).

In her free time, Kettrick loves to play guitar and sing. She serves in the band at Lake Christian Church, which she says brings her joy to serve God and her church.