Returning students may have noticed some new teacher faces in the hallways at RHS. Those faces belong to the 13 educators that RHS welcomed into our RAMily this year. To help students get to know these new teachers, Rampage asked them a few questions about their background, top tips for students and more. What we discovered is that, while they may come from diverse backgrounds and have different levels of experience, they’ve all become valued additions to the school’s roster of educators in only a short period of time.
Rampage: What is your background in teaching?
Andrea Rinish, teacher of French: “I taught high school French and Spanish for eight years before going to RMS and teaching French there for two years.”
Ottavio Mattia, teacher of Business: “Before coming to RHS, I worked in business, so I have not had any experience in teaching in the classroom. However, I remain excited for my first teaching role and this new journey.”
Melissa Cedano, teacher of Spanish: “Teaching was a career change for me that I am so glad I made. I am an immigration paralegal and had my eyes on law school for a while. My passion is helping others, so it was either becoming an attorney or teaching. I absolutely love teaching and honestly can’t see myself going back.”
Rampage: What are you most excited for during this upcoming school year?
Joseph D’Andrea, teacher of English: “Some of my all-time favorite titles are in the curriculum, and selfishly, I am most excited to read texts like ‘Romeo & Juliet’ and ‘To Kill a Mockingbird.’ It has been nearly a decade since I last read them.”
Katherine Kern, teacher of Mathematics: “I am most excited about getting to know the students and supporting them in their academic and personal pursuits. I am also excited about being back on the East Coast near my family and friends.”
David Anderson, teacher of English: “Randolph’s English curriculum has a lot to offer, and teachers are given a lot of engaging, multimedia texts from a variety of authors. I am looking forward to helping students develop their own thoughts about these varied texts.”
Rampage: What were you most nervous about when you first walked into RHS as a new staff member?
Rinish: “Like many of the freshmen, I was–and am–most nervous about getting lost. I thought I had finally gotten oriented, but then I made a wrong turn this morning.”
Maria Reilly, teacher of Spanish: “I was most nervous about the new schedule and acclimating, but I’m loving the block schedule.”
Anderson: “Even teaching a simple, opening lesson involves managing a lot of potential unforeseen circumstances. So, even the night before, I was worrying about everything from whether I had made enough copies of materials to whether a gorilla would show up in the school somehow.”
Rampage: Do you have any personal interests or hobbies outside of teaching that you can share?
Kern: “I enjoy running, thrifting, hiking and spending time with my family and friends.”
Mattia: “I enjoy playing baseball and other sports, listening to music and watching movies and television. I enjoy trying different cuisines.”
Rampage: How can students maximize their potential in your class?
Cedano: “Learning a language requires making mistakes and growing from them, so if my students come to class with an optimistic attitude, then they are bound to be successful.”
D’Andrea: “Be patient with yourself. Reading does not come easy to most people, so give yourself time in the beginning to read slowly and diligently.”
Reilly: “My students can maximize their potential by paying attention in class and putting forth their best effort when working with others.”
