aboutstudentscalendarfacultyresources
Communications
arts how to applyteacherpages
High School

English Faculty

 

Emily Swoboda
English I Honors

Quincy Scott
English II Honors

Ken Billings
English III Advanced Placement

Victoria McCormick
English IV Advanced Placement


Emily Swoboda

Emily Swoboda
English I Honors

e-mail

webpage

While she isn't a Texan by birth, Mrs. Swoboda has lived in Texas most of her life. She is a two-time graduate of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, where she earned a B.A. in English and an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction. Mrs. Swoboda began teaching at Waller High School, located just outside of Houston, as she completed her graduate studies at A&M. After teaching in Waller, she moved to San Antonio where she taught in Judson ISD. Now, Mrs. Swoboda is very excited and privileged to be a part of the Communications Arts High School faculty. This year, she is the sponsor for the Creative Writing Club.

In her spare time, Mrs. Swoboda enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter, taking photographs, quilting, reading, visiting with family, organizing anything in sight, and relaxing. Some of her favorite books are: Eats, Shoots & Leaves, Shakespeare Bats Cleanup, Fahrenheit 451, The Poisonwood Bible, and To Kill a Mockingbird. Some of her favorite authors are Willa Cather, Sandra Cisneros, Sue Monk Kidd, and William Shakespeare.

back to top


Quincy Scott

Quincy Scott
English II Honors

e-mail

webpage

A native of San Antonio, Quincy Scott is a teacher with seventeen years of experience. He has worn many hats in his years in the classroom, but has always taught English. Quincy first became interested in books as a child, when his father, Frank, an avid library borrower, would frequently bring Quincy and his brother along to roam the library shelves. Although he loves the vast array of information at your fingertips today online, Quincy still confesses love for a good book.

Reading and writing are an important part of why Quincy teaches. He most enjoys communicating, and helping his students communicate better.

Quincy graduated in 1990 from Texas State University with a bachelors of science degree in education, focusing on kineseology and English. His first teaching position was at Southwest High School, where he taught English and coached swimming and boys' basketball, and volunteer coached softball and girls' basketball.

In 1999 Quincy moved to Keystone School, where he taught high school English, coached JV basketball, and coached middle school softball and soccer.

In 2001 Quincy came to Communications Arts, where he has happily taught both freshman and sophomore English. Quincy still loves sports, and looks forward to his son's future little league games.

Quincy's philosophy of teaching is that it is very akin to parenting. He feels his job is a partnership with parents to nurture each child to become a thoughtful adult, a responsible citizen, an independent thinker and a lifelong learner. Quincy has been lucky enough to have several wonderful teachers in his life, along with two outstanding parents, and he feels honored and humbled to have a career devoted to helping young people blossom.

When not at school, Quincy treasures his family time. He shares a house with his lovely wife Katie, a teacher at John Paul Stevens High School, and his amazing son Anderson, who is a year old but already has impeccable literary taste. The back yard is patrolled by Margo, a scruffy dog of sweet temperament and uncertain pedigree.


back to top



Kenneth Billings
English III Advanced Placement

e-mail

webpage

 

 

Ken Billings, husband of one and father of three, was born in California in 1973; graduated from UTSA with a B.A in History in 1995; started teaching at John Jay High school in 1997; married in 2000; received his M.A. in English from UTSA in 2003; became an adjunct professor at Wayland Baptist University in 2004; arrived at Comm Arts in 2007: his three sons were born in 2001, 2003, and 2005—those are the dates. However, there must be more to a person than a string of years. For Ken Billings, these are the things that matter most: his faith in God; his love for his wife, children, and the rest of his extended family; his addiction to reading (“I am constantly reading: theology, literature, history, espn.com”); his devotion to the Spurs (“Go, Spurs, Go!”); his passion for politics (“W!”); and his dedication to improving as a teacher.

“Let all things be done decently and in order”: in Ken Billings’s life, this idea must become part of his daily agenda. Between juggling family life, high school teaching, college teaching, and church activities, very little time remains for “free time.” But, in that time that exists that some call “free,” Ken enjoys movies and a few television shows (“Lost”); taking long walks on the beach (“No, wait, there is no beach where I live, scratch that!”); and…well, there is nothing much after that. Playing with his boys and enjoying time with his wife, pretty much sums up the week.

As a teacher, Ken believes that if a teacher truly, really, deeply loves what he or she teaches, and that love radiates and flows out of every lecture, lesson, and assignment, then the students will notice, and hopefully they will be able to catch some of that passion, grasp some of the love, and take hold of some of the lessons about literature and writing and grow as a student, citizen, and person.

back to top


Victoria McCormick
English IV Advanced Placement

Winner of the 2007 Sue German Award at the New Jersey Writing Project Convention for excellence in education

e-mail

webpage

Victoria McCormick started out wanting to be a writer and ended up a teacher of writing, proving that those who can both do and teach. She has been teaching for 29 years and has been in the Northside School District for 23 years, 16 at John Jay High School and 7 at Health Careers High School before moving to Communication Arts in August of 2005. She was the English department coordinator at both Jay and HCHS, is a New Jersey Writing Project in Texas trainer, and for several years was a reader for the AP Language and Composition Test. In 2002-2003, Mrs. McCormick was awarded the Trinity Prize for Excellence in Teaching. She has also been an officer in TCTE/LA, the state professional organizations for English and language arts teachers, and SAACTE, the San Antonio affiliate for TCTE/LA.

Mrs. McCormick was born in El Paso, Texas, but spent most of her life living in various places along the West Coast where her sailor father was stationed by the U.S. Navy. A graduate of Texas Tech University, she received her master’s degree in English from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Her writing has been published in UTSA’s literary magazine Cactus Alley and one of her poems placed first in the Poets on the River Contest.

Although reading and writing are Mrs. McCormick’s main interests, she also enjoys traveling, hiking, and camping with her husband, Larry. Together they have visited just about every national park west and/or north of Texas, including Big Bend, Pikes Peak, Yellowstone Park, and Mt. Rushmore. However, the highlight of their camping adventures has been their trip to Guadalupe State Park where they climbed the strenuous switchbacks up to Guadalupe Peak, the highest spot in the state of Texas. She and her husband have five children, ranging in age from 35 to 17, and she hopes one day to share her love of the outdoors with her seven grandchildren.

back to top

HOME | about CAHS | calendar/news | students | faculty & staff | resource links | how to apply
©2009 Northside Independent School District all rights reserved

Communications Arts High School
11600 FM 471 West
San Antonio, Texas 78253
(210) 397-6043