The Tattler surveyed the new staff at the high school and asked them this question: What are your hopes and goals this year? Here’s what we got.
Emily Grippin, Math
I hope to connect with my students and instill the love for mathematics. I also hope to create a connection with the school in a different way since this is where I graduated.
Jill Kautz, Social Studies
I hope my students feel engaged and challenged in my classroom, and come out more prepared for next year.
Rachelle Walsh, Psychologist
I hope to become more connected to the IHS community by working with the Response to Intervention (RtI) team in order to help all students succeed. I would like to familiarize myself with community resources in Ithaca in order to best facilitate the home school community connection for all students.
Alyse Kinsinger, Social Studies
I hope to learn more about this area. I’m from Utica originally and I want to get more immersed into the community and the culture here.
Jeff Manwaring, Director of Athletics
Being an interim athletics director, I hope to make sure that we follow all of the guidelines and regulations that we’re supposed to for athletics and give as many kids an opportunity as we can to participate in athletics.
Benjamin Eckley, librarian
I’d like to learn as many names as I can. I worked at Northeast where I’d have to remember about 400 kids’ names per year. What’s another 1000, right? I also want to help make the library a chill and welcoming place for students.
Jonathan Shyne, Technology
I want to do a good job for my students. As a new teacher taking over a huge program, I need to be on the top of my game and working hard every day for my kids and coworkers. One of my old principals once said to me, “Anyone who thinks that teaching is like a 9-5 job is dumb.” What he means by this is that there is always something outside of the regular school hours that you will need or want to be doing to improve your teaching. You cannot become a good teacher if you only work during school hours. So I am going to use those hours to be better for the students.
Jonathan Gordon, English
To survive.
Kari Krakow, ENL
I would like to get to know my students and help them learn English.
Stephen Beamish, Director of Fine & Performing Arts
My goal for the year is to identify the Fine and Performing Arts program needs and wants of the students and through the instructional staff, provide the resources and opportunities to facilitate the implementation of these needs.
Debbie Reynolds, Acct Clerk Typist
I’ve been here 26 years and never worked in a building with students. So my goal is to get better acquainted and involved with students.
Katina Scavuzzo, Social Worker
I live in Newfield, but I haven’t had the opportunity to work in Tompkins County. So my goal for this year is to connect with staff members here and students and just make those face-to-face connections, to start.
Keith Harrington, Ninth Grade Dean of Students
I would be happy if I felt like I was part of a process that made the transition from mid- dle schools to the high school an easier and enjoyable process. I saw what Link Crew did on Freshman orientation day. And I thought, “That’s It.” Now, how do we keep that momentum going for the rest of their high school career?
Raissa Farmer, Science
This year, my goal is to become more of a part of the IHS community. I hope to meet more people, staff and students, and find my place here.
Matthew Fellman, Science
I’m excited about making the science class that the most students want to take: conceptual physics.
Patrick Hovey, Math
I’m hoping for the Bills to make the playoffs and for all my students to pass the regents.
Kyle Erickson, Social Studies
Some of my hopes are to get to know the student body and my coworkers better to figure out what I can contribute.
Not pictured:
Matthew Prokossh, Social Studies
I place a lot of emphasis on creating a really strong rapport with my students and I really want to get them comfortable with talking about the more difficult aspects of history, that are often shunned away from. I want to create an open classroom environment, where kids are not afraid to speak their mind, and others won’t judge them for it, and quite frankly, have a little bit of fun with it too.
Becky Charsky, counselor
Cindy French, custodial
Nittaya LoPinto, cafeteria
Alex Rojas, Special Education
Kem Tabone, custodial