 John Martin is an English teacher at Wethersfield High School. Despite being surrounded by cranky teenagers all day, he finds a way to make each day enjoyable. In high school Martin wasn’t the “ideal student”, but his teachers saw more in him. They pushed him to do his best and to help him succeed. He has taken that experience with him in his teaching career and applied that to his own teaching philosophy.
Now, after working at WHS for five years, he has made a reputation for himself as the teacher who really cares. Students know whether they need help in school or just help in general, Martin is always there to talk to. During any of Martin’s free periods you are almost always guaranteed to find at least one student sitting with him to talk. By talking with his students, he starts to make connections with them that he couldn’t by just being in the classroom. Building that relationship with his students leaves a long lasting impact on them, just like Martin’s teachers left on him. This bond he and his students make help him to be an even better teacher. To him the literature he teaches isn’t always static. He believes that each story can have a different meaning based on the reader. By getting to know his students he gets to discover new interpretations of the text based on how his students see it. Martin makes the texts more interesting by being able to make the connection between the story and the students lives. Martin’s teachers have shaped him into the teacher he is today: one that strives to help his students and goes above and beyond to help them learn, He takes his personal experiences in life and puts them towards his own teaching. He knows the impact his teachers left on him and strives to do the same for his own students. He enjoys what he does and “naturally wants to do well for students”. Martin’s outgoing personality makes him a one of a kind teacher and a favorite among his students.
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by Faith Mitusina 11/30/17
If you ask anyone in Wethersfield High School “Who is Mauro?” I could guarantee a smile would instantly beam across their face and give you a list of all the amazing things about Mauro. Before I ever enrolled in the ALS classroom, I knew Mauro because he says “Hi” to absolutely everyone and always greets you with a gentle handshake. After I joined the class, I realized Mauro is without a doubt one of Wethersfield High’s greatest assets. Regardless of who you are or what you are going through, Mauro does not judge and is always ready to have a good time. Mauro is the life of the room and is always up to something just to get a laugh out of you. And that alone is why I believe he is such an important person in our little community. He spreads happiness to everyone. How does Mauro help to shape WHS? In order to really understand Mauro’s impact, I spoke to some of the people that know him best and work with him on a daily basis. I asked each person the same question and their answers were absolutely heartwarming. “How do you think Mauro helps to shape WHS?” “I think Mauro has shaped Wethersfield High [because] well, everyone knows Mauro. Everyone loves Mauro. Mauro loves everyone, he talks to everyone. I feel like he made people more aware of the ALS community and everyone in that classroom. He helped people get more involved. Mauro is just awesome!” -Lianna Montalvo (Senior) “Mauro has helped to shape Wethersfield High School because [of] his personality. He is a very friendly face and you can’t help but to look at him and smile. Whenever he looks at you he smiles and some people don’t have a friendly face to see in the hallways, so by seeing Mauro it makes me happy, it makes everyone happy.” -Triniti White (Senior) “Well, he’s just so friendly and so sweet, and I think that his vibe is unconditional love. He doesn’t judge anybody. He doesn’t care what you look like, what you’re going through, he does not care he just loves all people in general, unconditionally. And that right there is a gift. I wish they could sell that because you don’t find that often but Mauro has it.” -Jonna Roberge (Paraprofessional) “ He has made people more aware that different is okay. When he first came to Wethersfield High, he didn’t speak at all. Now he’s speaking in full sentences and is conversational and he didn’t do that before. He feels very comfortable here and everyone makes him feel loved and welcomed.” -Debbie Ball (Paraprofessional) Mauro endlessly spreads happiness to everyone. His willingness to accept all people for who they are should be an inspiration to all of us. In just the short time that I’ve known Mauro, he has taught me how important it is to be kind. The effortlessness of how loving he is, is such a beautiful thing and that alone is why I believe Mauro will leave such a tremendous legacy when he graduates from Wethersfield High School. Not a normal high school year for Wethersfield senior Chelsea Pinchera, 17. Pinchera took a fashion design class at Wethersfield High school and fell in love with the art. She came to the conclusion that she wanted to pursue it as a career and apply to colleges offering a fashion degree. Fashion Institute of Technology located in New York City is her top school and is currently waiting to hear on her application status.
As senior year goes on she has to not only apply for colleges but in her case also submit a portfolio for her art schools . “It's very stressful. I have to make and put together my portfolio but also apply for colleges and keep my grades up.” The fashion enthusiast would love to one day be in New York City she says “hopefully this hard work now will pay off one day.” For her portfolio she has a variety of different drawings and just completed a very professional oversized coat and a pair of white high waisted shorts with floral patches on them. Pictures of Pinchera’s work will follow. Enjoying hobbies such as soccer, and anything music related, Ryan McCarthy is currently a senior attending Wethersfield High School.
Growing up in the town of Berlin, CT for the first twelve years of his life, Ryan describes his childhood as being near perfect. He enjoyed playing the bass and other activities such as baseball and soccer. Both sports he played throughout his youth. Living in Berlin, Ryan made many friends and acquaintances. Many of which he continues to keep in touch with to this day. Making friends was easy; who would want to leave? During the start of his sixth grade year, Ryan’s family found themselves in Windsor, CT. Moving everything to live in a different town proved difficult. Going from many close friends in his town of twelve years to none was fairly unaccommodating. Ryan found himself a group of friends he stayed close with for the year he resided in Windsor. Moving to another town proved difficult. Especially when done a second time. Ending his sixth grade year in Windsor, his family moved a last time to Wethersfield, CT. He spent the summer keeping in touch with his friends from Berlin, which was very hard due to distance. Besides knowing a couple of neighbors, he wasn’t exactly sure what to expect from the middle school. His first day he became acquainted with a lot of people and made friends all throughout middle school. He now attends Wethersfield High School. Currently, Ryan has finished his senior year soccer season after playing for the team 4 years. His passion for the sport still shows as he’s planning to actively participate in the sport as an adult. After high school, Ryan is planning on attending a technical school to study and apprentice as an electrician. He currently takes a construction management class and enjoys the work. He describes it as being fun and fulfilling for him. He’s currently looking into joining the union of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). In today’s world, climate change and pollution are serious problems. They will not solve themselves so it is up to students with the initiative and drive to make a change. Gabi Interian, a senior at Wethersfield High School, is one of those students. Gabi is treasurer of the Environmental Club, and along with President Isabella Schroeder, they are making a difference in our community. She has always been interested in the environment, trying to find different ways she could help. “I always tried to do little things around the house like; recycle, turning off the water when people brushed their teeth, and reducing garbage.” While she never had participated in a large program for the environment, junior year she decided that the Environmental Club was a perfect fit. She had heard the goals of the club and was excited to be able to contribute. The club makes efforts every year to make a difference in the community, but this year, they are tackling a school rumor that has been spread around the school for years. Many people believe that the school janitors do not actually recycle, they just throw everything in the trash bins. The club has looked into this and confirmed that the janitors do in fact recycle what is in the recycle bins. Now, the club is ready to tackle the challenge of getting people in the habit of recycling. “Our plan is to remind people of what in fact can be recycled, and see if we are able to increase our recycling habits. By recycling we can decrease the waste we produced which will eventually get dumped in landfills, and instead reuse materials like plastic.” Another project they are working on is collecting donations for a local environmental organization through selling T-shirts for $10. If you are intrested in purchasing a T-shirt, you can visit Mrs. Norris in room 410. After that, there is nothing that is set in stone, but there are plans for a clean up in Wintergreen woods, a plant sale, and a walk in the woods to educate elementary kids about nature. The Environmental Club is making a difference in the community. They are educating students and staff on the importance of recycling and are working to change the way people think. “I believe that our work is helping people become aware of what they can do to help the environment. A large change starts with the smallest of efforts.” |
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