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Note from the Editor: This is an article in a series called "Wethersfield Heroes," where our students work to highlight and honor those in our community going above and beyond amidst the tumultuous year. If you know someone that you would like to nominate as a Wethersfield Hero, please contact Mr. Martin at jmartin@wethersfield.me.  By: Ella Alger and Bella Tomaino
As much of a cliche as it is, when Rascal Flatts said “Life is a highway” they meant it. Through all the twists and turns and bends and breaks of the road, there can be some unexpected blessings along the way. The Covid-19 pandemic hasn’t been easy for any of us, but one person it tested the hardest was Wethersfield resident Julie Vardal. Vardal has lived in the town of Wethersfield her whole life. She grew up and was raised by a single mother and is also one herself with two kids. Prior to March 2020, Vardal was an at-home entrepreneur selling candles for almost 20 years, but when Covid got bad initially she was forced to change her career path. It can’t be easy to all of a sudden one day have to pick a new profession, but it was inevitable. Her first step was becoming a lunch lady. She didn’t mind it but one thing she definitely learned was the fact that she loved working with children. In her next work year, she transitioned to a paraprofessional position at Highcrest Elementary. Sometimes working with new people can present some awkwardness at first but not for Vardal. She walked into Mr. Fox’s classroom and right from the jump they clicked. When Mr. Fox submitted his application for Vardal to be a hero he said, “I consider her a co-teacher, not a paraprofessional.” This speaks volumes on behalf of Vardal to see that she takes her job to the next level. This past winter Mr. Fox had to go out on medical leave and with a substitute teacher shortage, Vardal had to step up to the plate. In many situations this would be an issue, however, Fox said “[I] have no worries at all about our students' learning and safety.” He also said, “I could not do this without her.” We got the privilege of going to Highcrest and meeting the infamous Vardal. Right when you walk in, you can tell how much the students respect her and how well everyone gets along. The kids played a card game and she went around helping and interacting. With Mr. Fox being out for the past couple of weeks and just coming off winter break, you’d think the kids would be a little behind but you can tell Vardal stepped up and did a tremendous job with the students. So yes, times can get tough, and struggles will present themselves, but persistence is key. Julie Vardal is a hero to the students, the school, and the community for the incredible things she did in her third-grade classroom.
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Note from the Editor: This is an article in a series called "Wethersfield Heroes," where our students work to highlight and honor those in our community going above and beyond amidst the tumultuous year. If you know someone that you would like to nominate as a Wethersfield Hero, please contact Mr. Martin at jmartin@wethersfield.me.  Mrs. Mucinskas (left) and Mrs. Belanger (right) By: Liam Stec
In the Wethersfield community, there are many roles that people take on and manage. They vary in responsibilities, roles, and their effect, but nonetheless they are very important. While these may be behind the scenes, or out in the open, these roles should be acknowledged and praised, especially the ones that Wethersfield High School’s English and math teachers Kristen Mucinskas and Shannon Belanger have taken on. Mrs. Mucinskas began her teaching career at Wethersfield High School 25 years ago, saying “I feel like I was always called to teaching, I knew in high school I wanted to be a teacher.” While being a teacher hasn’t always been the easiest, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s something she’s put countless hours into, on top of all the other things she does for the school, such as overseeing everything ECE (UCONN’s Early College Experience program) and her work with the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). Mrs. Belanger, on the other hand, began her teaching career at Wethersfield High School 11 years ago, saying “I think in fourth grade I wanted to become a teacher, I really enjoyed my teacher, but I didn’t know what I wanted to teach.” It was not until college that she decided what she wanted to teach, saying “It was in college I realized that I missed math, so I decided to become a math teacher.” While she originally became a teacher to work with others and help teach concepts and help others gain a greater understanding, Mrs. Belanger has actually been doing this much longer than 10 years, helping her friends with their math homework when she was younger. Mrs. Belanger is also involved extracurricular activities, coaching the math team, being the sophomore class advisor her work with NEASC, and even working security at the hockey games. Among the hours invested by both teachers, one very important role that both teachers have invested time is being the Chairpeople of NEASC accreditation for Wethersfield High School. This is an organization that promotes and helps improve the quality and methods of learning, allowing for students K-12 to receive the best education possible. This is a heavily intensive role for both Mrs. Mucinskas and Mrs. Belanger, spending hours alone organizing meetings, going to other schools and accrediting other schools (going to, approving, and sharing the schools methods of education), and meeting with each other to brainstorm possible ideas to make our school and community better. When asked of why they do it, Mrs. Belanger responded that both as a teacher and a member of NEASC, “I really enjoy making and impact as well as helping kids,” which is exactly what NEASC is about, helping kids and giving them the best education possible. However, both Mrs. Mucinskas and Mrs. Belanger both acknowledge that this wouldn’t be possible without the support Wethersfield High School has provided. “Our staff has been amazing, and we’ve asked a lot from our staff, and people [the staff] have been really supportive,” said Mrs. Mucinskas. Mrs. Mucinskas and Mrs. Belanger have done a great service to not only our community and school, but Connecticut as a whole with what they’ve accomplished with NEASC. Wethersfield is very lucky to have two teachers like them who are not only great teachers, but role models for future teachers as well.  Note from the Editor: This is an article in a series called "Wethersfield Heroes," where our students work to highlight and honor those in our community going above and beyond amidst the tumultuous year. If you know someone that you would like to nominate as a Wethersfield Hero, please contact Mr. Martin at jmartin@wethersfield.me.  by: George Zack
If you’re at all familiar with the town of Wethersfield, you have probably heard the name Ken Lesser before. Ken Lesser has been one of the most active members of the Wethersfield community, dedicating much of the past ten years to virtually every corner of the town, and working with the schools, residents, and even politicians to make this town a better place. And why does he do this? To give back to the community he loves. Lesser has lived in Wethersfield for over a decade, and he has always been giving back in his own way. Six or seven years ago, he began to ramp things up. Around 2016, Lesser helped start the Wethersfield Mayor’s Charity Ball, which raises money for multiple charities in the town, especially for those who are considered food insecure. According to Lesser, “We have almost 25% [of our kids considered food insecure], and I thought that was a really high number in our middle class town, so from there I started the Wethersfield mayor’s charity ball to raise money for hungry kids.” The Ball also raises money for senior citizens in town, as well as providing preschool scholarships for families who cannot afford to send their children to preschool, and according to Lesser, the Mayor’s Charity Ball has “raised in six years, over $120,000.” As he says this, a subtle expression of joy and pride begins to show on his face. A few years later, Lesser decided that one of the best ways he could continue providing for and giving back to the community was by becoming a member of the town council, where he would have more resources and a wider reach to sustain his work, and he ended up running in the 2017 town election, where he won a seat. “I ran to make a difference. I believe politics is all about helping people, and when you are in office you have the chance to help people with different things, and I like giving back to the community I live in and to try and make it a better place”. Lesser wants his community work to benefit everybody, and when he was elected to Town Council, he took leaps and bounds towards doing so. Lesser reflects on this saying, “Being in elected office really is a nice opportunity to learn more about the town. We get lots of reports about different things going on in town, and it gives me, and all of us serving, an opportunity to try and enact good things that help everybody in town.” Lesser feels the most impactful thing he was able to accomplish while on Town Council was helping lead and create the Wethersfield Veterans Commission. According to Lesser, there are over 1300 veterans in town, and while on the council he learned many of them were considered poor or in need of a variety of services. Naturally, he wanted to do something about it, and so with the help of his colleagues, the Wethersfield Veterans Commission was born. “I was the advocate, sponsor, and driving force for that because I believe we need to help our veterans as much as possible, and that’s why the Commission was started”. Lesser’s contributions to the town don’t end there. Lesser was appointed to the Wethersfield Board of Education in 2019, and has been on ever since. He has worked closely with the WHS community, acting as coordinator for the youth career advisory board, and also as one of the driving forces behind the leadership club here as well. Lesser hopes that his work on the career advisory board providing lunch and learns, job shadowing, and internships for students will give them a glimpse into what could be their future. As head of the leadership club, Lesser works with students to help them discover their natural leadership skills and nurture them to make each student a leading and also serving member of their community. This all culminates at the end of the year in the club’s yearly project. Last year, students made care packages for senior citizens in town to help them stay safe during the pandemic, while also providing them with necessities to save them a few trips to the store. This area of both leading and serving in the community is Lesser’s area of specialty, and spreading his knowledge and experience with the next generation in the leadership club is what he considers to be his most important accomplishment as a member of the Wethersfield Board of Education. Ken Lesser has played a big role in shaping much of the great community work that has, and is still being done in Wethersfield. He has truly reached every person in some way shape or form, and will continue to create an impression on the town that lasts for generations to come. If Ken Lesser isn’t a Wethersfield Hero, I don’t know who is. Note from the Editor: This is an article in a series called "Wethersfield Heroes," where our students work to highlight and honor those in our community going above and beyond amidst the tumultuous year. If you know someone that you would like to nominate as a Wethersfield Hero, please contact Mr. Martin at jmartin@wethersfield.me.  A Webb student and Kimberly Bobin (permission granted for photo) by: Riley D'amato
“My mom is from Mexico, but I grew up only speaking English, and feeling like there was a whole piece of culture that I missed. When I would go to Mexico, I would feel uncomfortable that I didn't know the language. And I had this one aunt that would always smile at me and always hug me and always make me feel welcome. I got to learn what the felt like, that it didn't matter that we didn’t speak the language, there was always one person that made me feel welcome.” And these memories and events of her childhood shaped Kim Bobin into exactly the Wethersfield Hero she is today. Now she is working with families to learn English. As the Family and early childhood coordinator of wethersfield, Mrs. Bobin teaches in an interactive way by helping adults who don't speak or speak very little of the language, to schedule doctors appointments and fill out job applications. While with the kids, they learn basics like shapes and clothes, preparing them for kindergarten overall. These families can feel as isolated like Mrs. Bobin felt when she was in Mexico. To add on top of that, the COVID pandemic did not help that isolation at all. Families had little contact with people outside of their little pod and there weren't opportunities to expand that small bubble. To combat this she said, “During COVID, we do outside playgroups, so then when they see me and they are not sure who that lady is, I sing one of the songs we do. And they make the connection, ‘oh this is the lady from zoom’, and i think that is the best part, when their little eyes light up.” And that connection allows them to have a love for learning and a want to learn at a young age. She also said, “My favorite part of being with the kids is, on Zoom, I tried to learn to say hello in the different languages. What I do is on Thursdays I log into the adult education class and the babies are on zoom. There are 2 babies from Bosnia, I say good morning, dobro jutro (good morning in Bosnian). And the mom goes to get the babies and they gasp.” And the special thing about this program is it intertwines child learning and adult learning into one. When the children learn, the adults learn, and vice versa. And the larger portions of these students are younger and are more sizable now than ever. When Mrs. Bobin started, there were about 175 kids in k-6 who spoke foreign languages, now 8-10% of the total student population does. This growth is something that makes this program so important. These kids getting ready for kindergarten without, or a minimal language barrier is such a big thing for them to stay on par and exceed expectations in school. With the work that Mrs. Bobin does on a daily basis for the town and families in our Wethersfield community, many families can smile a little wider and feel a whole lot more welcome. Note from the Editor: This is an article in a series called "Wethersfield Heroes," where our students work to highlight and honor those in our community going above and beyond amidst the tumultuous year. If you know someone that you would like to nominate as a Wethersfield Hero, please contact Mr. Martin at jmartin@wethersfield.me.  by: Yvonna Rodriguez
No matter when you attended Wethersfield High School, there is one voice students past and present can pick out of a crowd. That is the voice of gym teacher and coach Richard Scoppetto, better known to his students as Sco. Mr. Sco has been a part of the Wethersfield community for longer than most current WHS students (and some teachers) have been alive. Not even he himself knows exactly when he joined our community. While trying to pinpoint the start of his teaching career, he said, “I'm not sure when I started at Wethersfield High School. I started at Deane [Silas Deane Middle School] when it was a junior high and I student taught there and then I filled in for Joseph Cottone, the one they named the field [Joseph T. Cottone Field] after because he got sick.” Mr. Sco is the epitome of dedication. He spoke to me about the effort he went through in some of his earlier teaching years. “I was the first teacher to teach special Ed here and PE. So I'd be at Deane, come here to teach a class then go back to Deane then come back here all in one day,” he said. His dedication to his job became even clearer to see when he said that he has only had 7 sick days in the last 48 years. While the exact start of his teaching career is unknown, what is known is the lasting impact he has had on Wethersfield High School students past and present. I spoke to members of WHS to try to understand the depth of his impact on our community. Andrea Moyano, a senior at WHS who has had Mr. Sco as both a teacher and a coach, says he has impacted her life greatly over the years as her tennis coach. “Sco would often say to the team ‘not think, do’ or something along those lines,” she said, “he would try to get us out of our heads because we would overthink and mess up hits we could do in our sleep. I definitely try to use that in all aspects of life, especially moments when I'm really stressed or anxious.” Joining a sports team in high school is hard, but it's even harder when it's a sport you haven't played before. That was the case for senior Alani Adams when she decided to join the tennis team last year. “Sco impacted my life by making me believe in myself when I didn't think I could learn a new sport,” she said, “he inspired me to keep trying and keep learning.” Siobhan DeGray, an English teacher here at WHS and a member of the 2001 graduating class, was fortunate enough to have had Mr. Sco as both a teacher and a soccer coach. “Class was always interesting,” she said, “He never shied away from difficult or uncomfortable questions during health class.” Someone who has been in teaching this long clearly must love their job, and after speaking with Mr. Sco it's clear to see that he enjoys teaching more than anything. “I come to work and have fun every day,” he told me, “I've never thought of retiring. Maybe when the fun goes I go.” Towards the end of my interview Mr. Sco spoke to me about teaching as a whole, and the impact it has had on him. “I learn every day, but not from me. I dont think ive learned anything in the last 20 years from me. But I learn from these teachers and I learn from the students every day,” he said. Mr. Sco is a pillar in the Wethersfield community and the impact he has had on our community will be everlasting. Note from the Editor: This is an article in a series called "Wethersfield Heroes," where our students work to highlight and honor those in our community going above and beyond amidst the tumultuous year. If you know someone that you would like to nominate as a Wethersfield Hero, please contact Mr. Martin at jmartin@wethersfield.me. by: Rosario Tine and Michael Laperriere Wethersfield High School is full of extraordinary staff members who make up the community of the school. Each staff member brings their own unique touch into WHS. They try their hardest to make WHS a safe and welcoming community to all and provide each and every student the best 4 years of their life. There isn't a lack of effort from teachers to make a connection with students, however there are two members of the staff that Michael Laperriere and Ross Tine would like to spotlight, Mr Maltese and Mr. Martin.  Mr. Maltese Trumpets and drums from the marching band echo in one ear, while rowdy students chant ¨Let's go Eagles” in the other. It’s all in a day's work for Mr. Michael Maltese. Mr. Maltese is Wethersfield High School’s assistant principal and athletic director who does a lot of the behind the scenes work that most kids don’t see. Almost every student in the school will recognize Maltese, not only as a figure of authority, but as a leader and mentor. Maltese has been an icon at Wethersfield High School for 10 years now, heavily involved in the Athletics Department. Most students participate in a sport at WHS, which makes a strong community. When asking Maltese about the athletic aspect of Wethersfield High School community, he said, “Well I think athletics or any clubs and extracurricular activities gives students a chance to show community and school pride, you get to exemplify what it means to be part of something greater than yourself.” Being a part of a group such as a sports team is crucial to the high school experience, it can be an outlet from many problems that a high school student might face. Maltese is passionate about student development and he believes that athletics is a great way to shape a student into a better person, “We are teaching many things beyond the sport itself. We are teaching life skills, teaching how to have teamwork, and how to act win or lose .'' Being a student-athlete is never easy with juggling schoolwork while competing everyday can be a struggle, but having these skills taught through sports certainly makes a student a more responsible individual. Being at this school for as long as a decade, there are sure to be personal highlights and accomplishments he has experienced though his tenure here, when asking him this he had this to say, “We were building a unified sports program which didn’t exist when I came to Wethersfield High School, giving a chance to some individuals who may not be able to be on a competitive varsity team, a chance to play with other people and compete in front of a crowd and seeing the pure joy on those individuals' faces is something I would be most proud of.” Unfortunately, since COVID-19 broke out in late 2019, the unified sports program has been put to a pause, hopefully as more vaccinations are distributed the program is incorporated back into the school. Maltese isn’t just a staff member at Wethersfield High School, he goes above and beyond to make sure each and every student has an opportunity to be a part of something bigger than themselves. His dedication to working may go unnoticed by some. Maltese is certainly a key part at WHS, we thank Maltese for all he does here.  Mr.Martin
Students stress about an assignment by saying phrases such as, “Oh no Martin, this is due at the end of class?!?” Or just because of the daily teenage challenges they face. It’s all a daily occurrence for Mr. John Bernard Martin III (JBM3) Waking up at 5:30 in the morning Martin gets ready for the first of his many jobs, being a Crossfit coach. Then at 7 o'clock, he goes straight to Wethersfield High School ready to teach. Even with all the demand Martin faces as a teacher, he still manages to find time to help his students Martin has been an English teacher here at Wethersfield High School for 9 years. To him, one of the most notable things he has experienced in this school system is the large amount of support he consistently receives from the staff, even noting “This is the first school I ever felt at home in.” The previous school districts Mr. Martin had worked in had left him yearning for a community that he can call his own, something that he found at Wethersfield. But getting to be everyone's favorite teacher and person hasn't always been easy for Martin. “When I got here I was not a good teacher, I often look back at what I taught and how I taught it and especially how long things took, and I'm so ashamed that I laugh.” This is very surprising given his accolades and work outside of the school, but ultimately it shows his humbleness and his ability to recognize his flaws and especially do everything to amend his flaws. “I'm ultimately competitive.” He goes on to elaborate his drive to be the best teacher he can be and fight for kids to enjoy the content that he's teaching, while at the same time is competitive with himself to become a better teacher and person. Through his hard work and determination, he earned the district's teacher of the year award and a state finalist for the award in 2020. When asked why he became a teacher and why he has such a profound impact on Wethersfield High School and its students, he said, “High school was not a fun four years for me and often times, I felt like I wasn't good enough, but it was the teachers that I had that helped me to see what I failed to see in myself.” Martin has been on a mission to ensure that each and every student feels worthy and feels as if they are good enough. Through his bubbly personality and hard working nature, you can walk through the halls of WHS and see why students love him. The number of kids that go into his room just to talk is astounding. It's a wonder he has time to get any work done, but the students at Wethersfield High School truly know Martin as a Hero, whether it be academically or socially. |
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Photos used under Creative Commons from governortomwolf, Marianne Bevis, shixart1985, verchmarco, shixart1985
