Phone:

Email:

Degrees and Certifications:

Emily Bebenek, Student Leader

Emily has been involved with TED since seventh grade, when she joined the TED-Ed Club at Mountain Brook Junior High School. She has delivered three separate talks during the first three years of that club and loved it so much that she decided to create a similar club at Mountain Brook High School. Emily has led the club for two years now. She hopes that TED will continue to grow and inspire people around the world. 

Phone: (205) 414-3800 ext.7632

Email:

Degrees and Certifications:

B.A., Samford University, 2002 (Classics & Religion) M.A., University of Georgia, 2007 (Classical Languages)

Drew Lasater, Sponsor

Drew Lasater grew up in Hendersonville, TN, a suburb of Nashville. He graduated from Samford University in 2002 with a double major in Classics and Religion, and was the first student to graduate with a major in Classics at Samford. After Samford, Mr. Lasater taught Latin and Greek for three years at John Carroll Catholic High School. From there, he earned an MA in Classical Languages at the University of Georgia, where he won both the Graduate School and Classics Department awards for outstanding Graduate Student teaching. He got to serve as T.A. for Dr. Richard A. LaFleur, from whom Mr. Lasater learned a great deal in his time in Athens.

 
Mr. Lasater has served as Vice President and President of the Alabama Classical Association, and continues to play an active role in working with and supporting Latin teachers in the Birmingham area and across the state. In 2016-2017, he was honored to serve on the Alabama Department of Education's committee charged with revising Alabama's State Course of Study for World Languages.
 

This year, 2018-2019, is Mr. Lasater's twelfth year teaching at Mountain Brook High School. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he sponsors the Latin Club (JCL), Chess Club, and TED Club. Mr. Lasater teaches Latin I, II, III, III advanced, IV, IV advanced, and AP (Caesar and Vergil).

 
Mr. Lasater is also a very enthusiastic Atlanta Braves fan. In fact, Mr. Lasater's classroom has been named "The Official Latin Classroom of the Atlanta Braves." He enjoys living on the Southside of Birmingham with Roma, the wonder-dog and Atticus, the puppy who chews everything.