Debra Benfante - Instructional Aide
JANAY WOLTON, Staff Writer
Ms. Debra Benfante is a new instructional assistant at NBTHS. She graduated from Lafayette High School and attended Berkeley College in Manhattan. Benfante came to NBTHS because after being an aide for over 17 years, she realized that she wanted to help more students at different ages and grade levels. Benfante became a teacher because she feels gratitude when watching her students grow academically. Her many interesting hobbies include listening to music and sitting on the beach. She believes that she can impact the lives of students by encouraging them to stay focused and enjoy every moment. Out of all perks that comes with being a teacher, her favorite part is getting to watch students blossom and conquer new activities every day.
George Burgess - RTS
NANA KWAME FORDJOUR, Contributing Writer
George Burgess was an English teacher at NBTHS before taking the lead on Road To Success, commonly known as RTS. He received his qualifications at Kean University focusing on his education. Burgess was pushed to be a teacher in a long line of teachers in his family, finding himself following the career path in 2008. He can commonly be found canoeing and reading his favorite story The Tale Of Genji due to its beautiful poetry and large cast of compelling characters. He has a labradoodle named Miles and his favorite video game is Injustice, as it reminds him of other popular fighting games like Street Fighter from back in the day. He urges students to participate in extracurricular activities, not only for the benefits of their college resume, but the social aspect and building connections with others. He aims to create a positive impact by providing students with a comfortable environment to express themselves.
Gina Buzney- World Language
JAY PINDIPOL and GLEN OSANO, Staff Writers
Along with the many new teachers that came to NBTHS, came Gina Buzney. She works in the World Language department, specializing in Spanish. She attended South Brunswick High School and later studied at Middlesex College, Marygrove College, and William Paterson University. Buzney has always liked the Spanish language but also fell in love with Latin American Literature during her college years. She enjoyed English Literature, Art, and Creative Writing, but decided to take on Spanish since all of the English classes were full. She has been teaching Spanish for her entire career. With a teaching philosophy of "Anyone can be a learner," her main focus is to make sure every classroom she teaches in is a safe space for all to learn. When asked about any advice she would give to students, she said “The only person you need to impress is yourself." Her hobbies include baking, cooking, watching television, and spending time with family. All in all, she has nothing but gratitude for the environment that NBTHS provides, adding on "Go Raiders!"
Sarah Catovic - Math
SAVANNAH BARNES, Contributing Writer
Sarah Catovic is a new addition to the North Brunswick Township High School staff. She teaches math to all grades from freshman to seniors and has only been teaching for two years. Catovic says she was influenced to become a teacher by a seminar she took in college where she visited a bunch of elementary schools in New Brunswick. She says the reason she teaches is because she believes everyone has potential and wants to give every kid she teaches a chance in education. Catovic’s favorite memories are working with her students and watching them become successful. She said “The best part about teaching is building the connections.” Catovic makes her classroom a safe place by doing group work and letting her students have the chance to write on the board. One of the challenges Catovic had to overcome was balancing her personal life with her teaching life, and having to find some self care for herself. Some of her hobbies are watching the Star Wars movies, drawing, and spending time with family. Catovic’s favorite game is Sequence; she likes that she can play this game with others and how competitive the game is. Catovic loves her job but she understands she has to put in hard work while teaching, stating, “It is worth every second.”
Judee Channaoui - Social Studies
GIANNA SGOBBO, Contributing Writer
Judee Channaoui is a new teacher in the history department of NBTHS. Channaoui was a student teacher here and fell in love with the atmosphere that the school brought. Teaching has always been a dream job for Channaoui with her saying, “I’ve always loved school, and teaching allows me to continue learning while sharing that passion with my students. I also come from a family of educators, and their dedication truly inspired me.” Growing up her favorite subjects were art and history. Some of Channaoui’s favorite hobbies outside of teaching are creating flower arrangements, reading, and traveling in her free time. Channaoui is so excited to be a teacher here and can’t wait to make many memories this year.
Hannah Cirincione - Science
HOORIYA KHAN, Contributing Writer
Ms. Hannah Cirincione is a new teacher in the science department. Cirincione has many hobbies such as reading and playing video games like Dungeons and Dragons. She had always wanted to become a teacher since she was young and followed her passion. Before becoming a teacher, Cirincione worked at Sesame Place in high school. Cirincione now teaches Chemistry for grades 9,10, and 11. She’s always liked science and fell in love with chemistry in 10th grade when she took the class. She chose to become a teacher to share with students that science can be enjoyable for all. Cirincione did not know any teachers before coming to NBTHS, but she made friends with her co-workers easily. Advice that Cirincione would give to anyone who wants to become a teacher is, “If you have a passion for it, don’t let anyone talk you out of it and follow your heart.”
Edgardo Collazo - English
PATRYK BIELSKI, Staff Writer
Mr. Edgardo Collazo is an English teacher here at NBTHS. Collazo, who graduated from John Dewey High School in Brooklyn, New York, has always had an affinity for the English language; this, combined with his desire to positively impact the lives of students, in a similar way his former teachers filled him with heartening experiences, ultimately convincing him to major in English and education at Rowan University, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree. After graduating, Collazo made it clear to establish his classroom as a safe, comfortable place for students to thrive. He claims that he “just [tries] to be natural and be [himself], and if [he] can get that across to students, they'll be more likely to be engaged and enjoy being in class.” Nowadays, Collazo enjoys playing video games, watching movies, and keeping up with baseball—especially his favorite team, the Mets. To improve his health and overall activeness, he took up mountain biking as a hobby this past summer. Looking back on his years in high school, Collazo explains that students are often too critical of themselves. While he seems to remember every embarrassing thing he said or did as a teenager, Mr. Collazo realizes that he cannot recall embarrassing moments others experienced; this serves as a segway into his main point, which is that students, or people in general, should refrain from forcing themselves to be the ‘perfect’ person, stressing, “If you're proud of who you are and what you're doing, that's all that matters.” On a lighter note, Collazo shares that if he could pursue any career other than teaching, he would use his silly and self-proclaimed ‘annoying’ voice impressions to get a job as a voice actor. With Mr. Collazo’s enthusiastic attitude toward being an educator and his love for English, he will surely make a great addition to the NBTHS family.
Roseli Colon - World Language
CHRIS BLASSINGAME, Contributing Writer
Roseli Colon is a new teacher at NBTHS, teaching Spanish. Growing up, Colon would go many places and even owned a horse. She became interested in teaching while working in the school office and seeing how other teachers taught. This inspired her to make a positive impact on students. Colon believes that being a good listener and compassionate are essential qualities for a teacher. When she applied to be a teacher, she faced many challenges like having to take more Spanish classes. When asked about how she stays motivated in her career, she stated, “When I see students grow and acknowledge themselves.”
Christine Cramer - World Language
NANA KWAME FORDJOUR, Contributing Writer
Christine Cramer is the German teacher for NBTHS. She has been teaching for 18 years. Inspired by her own teachers growing up, she attended The College of New Jersey. Cramer then went on to earn her Master's at Rutgers University. Her interest in stories compliments her other literary hobbies. Her favorite book is The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway and she enjoys listening to German podcasts. The Tennenbaum is Cramer's favorite plant and her favorite genre of music is Metal. She impacts her classes positively by being patient and reaching out to students who need help. She describes the philosophy surrounding her teaching, “In this country we are lucky to receive a public and free education. I don’t believe everyone takes advantage of it, but I am proud to offer it and give everyone a fair chance.” She can sometimes find it difficult to motivate students but she persists in trying to give them a well rounded education.
Lekhini Desai - English
RACHEL DeANDREA, Contributing Writer
Ms. Lekhini Desai is a new teacher at NBTHS in the English Department. This is her first year teaching at NBTHS, but her third year teaching overall. She graduated from Rowan University and says she came to NBTHS because she loved the strong sense of community and the students' desire to learn and get involved. She enjoys teaching here because everyone is very welcoming and focused on what they want to do and how to be successful. When asked about her teaching philosophy, Desai explained that she wants students to know that their words and their actions are valuable and have impact. She says the most difficult thing about teaching is, “making sure that I teach in a way that every student can understand. Everyone learns differently and you want to make sure that you are being fair in the way you teach, and cover every learning style so that every student can succeed in class.” When she’s not teaching, Desai enjoys reading and binging Netflix shows and movies. Overall, Desai hopes to get involved as a club advisor once she is settled into North Brunswick and says she is “Glad to be here!”
Nicholas Faulborn - Math
SAANVI LAMBA, Editor-in-Chief
Mr. Nicholas Faulborn is a new math teacher at NBTHS, teaching Algebra 1 and 2. He graduated from Old Bridge High School and earned his degree in math from Rutgers University, New Brunswick. This is his first full year of teaching, and he’s passionate about helping students understand math through conceptual learning rather than just memorizing procedures. In Faulborn’s free time, he enjoys activities like playing basketball, solving jigsaw puzzles, and watching NFL. Faulborn says “I like incorporating humor into lessons to keep students engaged.”
Dina Fleming - AVID
ARYAN PUNJABI, Contributing Writer
Ms. Dina Fleming is a new teacher in the AVID department this year. Fleming attended both Middlesex County College and Rugters University. Her teaching career began in 2003 and it has grown as she continues being an English teacher at heart with the new AVID role. She plans to add much needed structure to AVID and give students the perspective that the program is a family. Her main advice for students is to learn to have balance in academics and leisure. A quote that Fleming values is, “Nothing else will work unless you do” by Maya Angelou.
Laura Flesta - Math
CHRIS BLASSINGAME, Contributing Writer
Laura Flesta is a math interventionist at NBTHS. Growing up, she was a mathematician and was influenced to become a teacher when she was in seventh grade. Flesta values respect, high expectations, and always believes that students have potential. She believes that patience is the most essential quality to becoming a teacher. When asked if she could change something in the education system she stated, “I would minimize all the tests that students take.”
Maria Garcia - World Language
CHRISTOPHER CUESTA, Contributing Writer
Maria Garcia is a new member of the world language department. Garcia has been teaching for about thirty years, hoping to incorporate students' diverse backgrounds into her lessons to build a welcoming and diverse classroom. Inside of the classroom, Garcia tries to introduce music, food, traditions, and current events from various Spanish-speaking countries, encouraging her students to share similarities of their own cultures. NBTHS is one of the most diverse high schools in all of New Jersey, so Garcia pushes to make sure her students enjoy what they are learning. Teaching is most rewarding for Garcia when she gets to watch her students learn and grow. Teaching isn’t an easy job. Garcia believes that “teaching presents challenges, but these obstacles often foster creativity and innovation in lesson planning.”
Jeannine Lanphear - Science
ARYAN PUNJABI, Contributing Writer.
Ms. Jeannine Lanphear is the new Supervisor of the Science Department. Although this is her first year at NBTHS, she was the math & science supervisor at NBTMS and Linwood. She got her Bachelors Degree at Rutgers, Masters at Ramapo, and post graduate at Rider and NJEXCEL. Her teaching career started back in 2004 in another district. She loves science due to its worldly importance and it being the language of math. She wants to continue to work with the students that she is familiar with and make new connections along the way. As the new supervisor, she tends to enrich the science department, making understanding easier and giving students a new perspective to look through. Advice Lanphear has for all students is, "You should try new things because you don’t know what skills you may have."
Paul LaMagra - Science
DAVINDER SINGH, Staff Writer
Mr. Paul LaMagra is a returning teacher to NBTHS and has been teaching for thirty years. Lamagra used to teach at the high school ten years ago and in between these years, he taught at the middle school. Ever since LaMagra received his Masters from Purdue University, he was inspired by his philosophy that every student has the ability to succeed in school and says, "It just takes effort." Growing up, he never wanted to be a teacher, but in college this changed when Lamagra received an outstanding student teaching award, inspiring him to continue the path of teaching. LaMagra always loved Biology, so he majored in Biology and chose to teach it to others. Most students observe that LaMagra is really into watching movies in his free time, and that he can summarize almost any movie mentioned. Although nowadays, he is leaning more towards sports and loves to watch his children's sports games. One piece of advice that LaMagra shares with students is to “give every class you take your best effort."
Adriane Parry - Learning Center
JALIYA GALLOWAY, Contributing Writer
Ms. Adriane Parry is a new teacher in the Learning Center. Parry’s reason to attend NBTHS is because she heard it was a great school district, which made her feel welcome. Parry attended Thomas Edison State University, and earned her Bachelor's Degree. Although Parry is new to the district, she does have past experience. Parry loved history, English, and art as a child. A piece of advice Parry gives to students is, “Don’t be afraid to ask questions!"
Chris Rotolo - English
HOORIYA KHAN, Contributing Writer
Mr. Chris Rotolo is a new teacher in the English Department and teaches CP English IV: World Literature. Not only does he love teaching English, but he also loves to collect records. Before teaching English, Rotolo was in the journalism industry for 10 years. He has always loved reading and writing about what he read. Rotolo switched over to teaching at NBTHS because he loves to connect in meaningful ways with students and loves seeing all of the students every day. Before coming to NBTHS, Rotolo already knew other teachers here, one of which was his wife, Mrs. Rotolo, from the math department. Rotolo says that coming to NBTHS has been a great experience and he feels very welcomed here by the staff. He says, “Thank you to the students and staff for welcoming me.”
Talia Rubel-Ryan - Child Study Team
JALIYA GALLOWAY, Contributing Writer
Mrs. Talia Rubel-Ryan is a new teacher in the Child Study Team. Before coming to NBTHS, Rubel-Ryan's worked at the NJ State Prison. She loves meeting new students and showing kindness. Rubel-Ryan’s favorite subjects in school were art and writing. A piece of advice Rubel- Ryan gives to students is, "Try not to worry about what others think."
Sam Tenenbaum - Social Studies
GIANNA SGOBBO, Contributing Writer
Sam Tenenbaum is a new teacher and works in the NBTHS social studies department. Tenenbaum enjoys hobbies such as running, watching sports, and learning about history. Teaching is Tenenbaum's first job and he is in his first year of teaching after attending Stockton University. Growing up, Tenenbaum had a love for history, ultimately leading him to become a history teacher. Tenenbaum said, "I enjoyed my history classes and wanted to help other students learn about it and be part of a good school environment." He has always enjoyed learning about history and found numerous ways to teach it to students!
Tom Vangara- Security
SAVANNAH BARNES, Contributing Writer
Tom Vangara is not really new to North Brunswick Township High School, but a new member to the North Brunswick staff. Vangara used to attend North Brunswick High School when he was younger. His hobbies are playing pickleball and coaching football. Vangara was a police officer in North Brunswick for 26 years and retired to work at North Brunswick High School. Vangara was inspired to become a police officer because of his brother. He enjoys the environment of working in a high school and plans to set an example for the students by showing kindness. Vangara's favorite memory of being a police officer was putting smiles on peoples' faces. To make sure our school is safe, Vangara works with the law enforcement. A piece of advice he shares with anyone pursuing a career in the same field is to "have patience, no matter the situation."
Thomas Wiley - English
RACHEL DeANDREA, Contributing Writer
Mr. Thomas Wiley is a new addition to the English Department of NBTHS. Although he is new to our school, this is his 8th year working as a teacher. Wiley grew up in Bloomfield, New Jersey and graduated from Colgate University. He came to NBTHS because growing up in Bloomfield, he was familiar with a diverse school environment and the community at NBTHS felt very similar. When asked what he liked most about teaching here, Wiley stated, “I like that the students are ready to learn and the students here seem to really know that they can use their learning to do something with their lives. Learning is important to them.” When he isn’t teaching, Wiley enjoys playing with his new puppy, singing in choir, and reading. He is also the new advisor of the Speech and Debate Club. His goals as a teacher this year are to get to know the students at NBTHS and to find a way to teach British Literature in a way that is challenging, but also engaging and interesting!
We also welcome:
Corey Fasano
Caroline Fuger
Anna Fus
Kam Little
Bria Monroe
Misiel Morales
Carla Mouawad
Rosa Mota
Erica Piotrowski
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