By BELA KIRPALANI
The JerEcho would like to officially welcome business teacher Ms. Nicole Izzo, math teacher Ms. Alyson Silagy, social studies teacher Mr. Dennis Demetres, and history teacher Ms. Diana Cook.
Business teacher Ms. Nicole Izzo’s favorite aspect of Jericho is the students’ enthusiasm. She said, “All the kids are always buzzing around, talking about their classes. They like to tie everything in. It seems that they understand that they are lucky to be here.” When asked if she has any fun facts to share, she spoke of her addiction to Oreos. Ms. Izzo said, “I call it ‘Oreosis.’ I eat all types of Oreos: double stuffed, cookie dough, regular–no Oreo is off-limits.”
Math teacher Ms. Alyson Silagy said, “When I was in college, there was a calculus professor who said, ‘Just do it my way.’ I remember saying there is another way to do it that is a little bit easier, but the professor said, ‘When you get a degree in education and you become a teacher, then you can start telling me how to teach my class.’ So that is when I decided to become a math teacher. The next day, I signed up for education to prove her wrong. I wanted to help people, and I saw that I enjoyed when I was able to clarify something for someone.” Throughout her career, Ms. Silagy has taught in many different school districts including Uniondale, Hempstead, Long Beach, and Patchogue-Medford. She said,”I think because I’ve taught many different grade levels I know a lot about what’s going to be asked in later years, and I can give the freshmen the concepts they’ll need to know in a later subject.”
Social Studies teacher Ms. Cook has thoroughly enjoyed working in Jericho thus far because of the importance that is placed on learning. Ms. Cook said, “I love how much the students care and how hard they work. Everyone tries, and all of the students have such a good work ethic. It is a great environment to be in.” Ms. Cook has always loved history, and said, “It’s so important to learn about how everything came to be, how civilizations developed, and how we came to where we are today.” Ms. Cook currently teaches Global History and Facing History, allowing her to experience working with a wide range of students.
Social Studies teacher Mr. Demetres taught in Sayville and Smithtown before arriving at Jericho because, “Jericho is just a great place. There’s a lot of opportunity here. It has an excellent reputation.” His favorite aspect of Jericho High School is the community. “It’s very close-knit. The teachers and the students all work together to make the community a really great place to be,” he said. Mr. Demetres is an avid athlete, and loves surfing, snowboarding, going to the gym, running outside, and wrestling.
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I can’t wait to try the new Smores Oreos. My personal favorite are the Peanut Butter mini oreos because I don’t feel AS bad eating an entire box in one sitting! Oreo-Off, Izzo?!