By Domenic Schnee
On every floor of Woodbridge High School, and in every department, there are at least two faculty members who graduated from the school before returning to teach. Over the years, WHS has changed significantly, and the faculty discussed those changes, as well as what it’s like to teach in the same building in which they once learned.
Despite the wide age gap amongst the faculty of former students–graduation years range from 1974 to 2007–, many have similar reasons for teaching at WHS, and have observed similar changes to the school over time, including how diverse the school has become.
Mr. Sienkiewicz, who teaches history and sociology, said, “We have such a wide range of races, ethnicities, and religious persuasions in this school that students are very accepting and tolerant of other people’s cultures.” According to him, the school has become significantly more diverse since his freshman and sophomore years at WHS, 1991-1992 and 1992-1993.
Dr. Papageorgiou, who teaches history and economics, graduated from WHS in 1986. “Students do a much better job coming together from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds,” he said.
Others pointed out changes in the facility. Mr. Mortensen, who teaches in the Business Department, graduated in 2007. He said, “The biggest change is the facility itself. It is nice to see changes around the school from classroom technology to athletic fields.”
Many feel that the school represents a second home to them: they have a desire to give back to their community and, to this day, feel a deep loyalty to the good old red and black.
Mr. O’Halloran, who teaches Creative Writing and Journalism, said that coming back to his alma mater to teach was “a sense of coming full circle.” Having graduated in 2004, he wanted to help people and give back to his community; teaching was his calling.
For roughly 27% of the current faculty to be made up of former students, many attendees of WHS must form some sort of attachment to the building, like Ms. Neidhart, an English teacher who graduated in 1974. “I loved some of my high school teachers and I like talking to my students. They keep my young at heart,” she said. “I would be curious if my colleagues feel the same loyalty to our red and black that I do.”