By CAROLINE GROSS, ANDY LIU, DARIEN SCHULTZ, TYLER SIEGMANN, KATIE TIAN and QI WANG
Jericho High School hired 11 new faculty members for the 2019-2020 school year. The JerEcho welcomes Ms. Ameri, Ms. Badalian, Ms. Barnett, Dr. Chan, Ms. Genovese, Ms. Nasser, Ms. Pillich, Ms. Rosman, Ms. Sforza, Ms. Unger and Mr. Velez.
Ms. Ameri teaches AP Italian, Italian IV and Italian III. She loves teaching languange because “you open a student’s mind to a new culture.” Ms. Ameri attended Rutgers University for her undergraduate degree and attended both the Università degli Studi di Firenze and Adelphi University for her graduate work. She previously taught at Long Island School for the Gifted, and she now loves teaching at Jericho. “The students are kind to each other, eager to learn, and very accepting,” she said. Ms. Ameri loves to travel the world in her free time. She advises her students to “go out, explore the world and find an adventure.”
Ms. Badalian is a geometry teacher who attended Queens College for her bachelor’s degree and Hunter College for her master’s degree. She received an undergraduate degree in music, but after discovering her passion for teaching while tutoring math, she decided to earn her master’s degree in education. She believes that “if you can solve a really tough math problem, you can solve pretty much any problem that’s going on in your life.” Before coming to Jericho, Ms. Badalian taught at Locust Valley. She loves all of her students and their dedication to their work, and she loves being able to help her students achieve their goals. Ms. Badalian is a musician and plays in an orchestra. She also loves making art and hosts her own art shows. Ms. Badalian encourages her students to “always try your best at every single thing you do because you never really know where life is going to take you.”
Ms. Barnett is a Spanish teacher who studied at the University of Albany for her undergraduate degree and attended the College of Saint Rose for her master’s degree. She also attended Instituto Internacional in Madrid. She has taught in the Rockville Centre School District, in the Plainedge School District, and at a high school in Georgia. Ms. Barnett shared how she loves that Jericho students and staff “are so motivated and everyone just wants to do their best all the time.” When she’s not in school, Ms. Barnett enjoys running, biking and going to the beach. She also loves spending time with her family.
Dr. Chan is the new World Language Curriculum Associate. He went to New York University for his undergraduate degree, and went to City University of New York for his PhD. Mr. Chan previously taught at Syosset High School and was an administrator at Plainview. He chose Jericho because it’s an exciting school. “The people here are great, the teachers are wonderful, and I think that the district has a lot of people that are very supportive of each other,” he said. Dr. Chan likes to read, watch baseball and learn new languages. He has learned Cantonese, Spanish, Italian, Mandarin, French and English.
Ms. Genovese is an English teacher who attended SUNY Oneonta for her undergraduate degree and Touro College for her graduate program. She said she enjoys teaching English because, “there are so many different ways to interpret something. I love when students have different viewpoints on what we’re reading in class, especially because sometimes they think differently than I do, so I learn as well.” She believes that everyone in Jericho High School is so driven and passionate. Ms. Genovese previously taught at a public school in Manhattan, and played lacrosse in college. Outside of school, Ms. Genovese loves to read, run and fish.
Ms. Nasser is a guidance counselor who attended Baruch College for her undergraduate degree and Fordham University for her graduate degree. She has worked at many schools, including The Bronx High School of Science, Townsend Harris High School, and John Glenn High School. Ms. Nasser shared that so far the students have been “so vibrant, motivated and very sweet.” She advises her students, “If you are feeling stressed, or need to slow down a little bit, come talk to your guidance counselor.” Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her children. Ms. Nasser said, “I have two little kids, so I love taking them out, whether it’s the park or the beach.”
Ms. Pillich teaches art and came to Jericho after having taught at Northport because of the really nice environment and Jericho’s support for the arts. She loves art because it makes her calm and happy and allows her to express herself. “Art is my starting place. I teach it because it is so important to me,” she said. When Ms. Pillich is not in school, she continues to make art as well as her own yarn for knitting. She even made her own dining room table. Additionally, she raises chickens and grows vegetables in her backyard. Ms. Pillich loves spending time with her daughter. As far as advice for Jericho students, Ms. Pillich said, “Enjoy your time now since high school is awesome.”
Ms. Rosman teaches English as a New Language and English I, and has a strong passion for reading and writing. She received her bachelor’s degree in adolescent education from SUNY Oneonta, her master’s degree in journalism from Quinnipiac University, and attended Canisius College for her second master’s degree in English as a New Language. She previously taught at Rocky Point High School for two years and taught in Thailand for almost a year. She loves working at Jericho. “I love the students’ drive and motivation, and I so appreciate the overall work ethic in the building,” she said. Aside from teaching, Ms. Rosman loves to travel. “I think I’ve been to over 20 countries now,” she said.
Ms. Sforza teaches Living Environment, and attended St. John’s for her bachelors and first master’s. Currently she’s taking online classes through Empire State toward a second master’s degree. Teaching was not Ms. Sforza’s first career choice. She became involved in science when she was an emergency medical technician and paramedic. Later on, she realized that she liked teaching most. She went back to school last year to earn her teaching credentials. Ms. Sforza taught at Great Neck North High School and subbed at West Islip where she also assisted with their science research program. She loves the collaboration between teachers, students and the community at Jericho. Ms. Sforza goes sky-diving a couple of times a year and goes scuba-diving in the Caribbean. She advises her students, “Follow your passion, even if that means, like for me, changing careers part way through to do something you are passionate about and really enjoy. As long as you do something you are passionate about, you truly never work a day in your life.”
Ms. Unger is a new chemistry teacher who received her undergraduate degrees in biochemistry and cellular and molecular biology and her master’s degree in secondary education. Ms. Unger taught in Fairfield, Connecticut at an all boys school. She chose Jericho High School because the faculty and student body are “phenomenal.” Ms. Unger said, “Jericho is a high-achieving school where everyone wants to improve. I am pleasantly surprised by how kind, respectful and welcoming everybody is.” Ms. Unger is a very athletic person. She coached soccer before teaching, and she is currently training to run half-marathons. Ms. Unger spoke only German before learning English in the 6th grade. She tells her students, “Work hard since chemistry at times can be challenging.”
Mr. Velez is the new social worker who studied at SUNY Old Westbury and later earned his master’s degree in social work at Stony Brook University. Mr. Velez worked in the Amityville school district for 12 years. He said that Jericho High School “has been amazing and the staff and students have been very welcoming.” His favorite part of working in Jericho is that it is such a diverse school district and it gives the students real world experiences. When Mr. Velez is not in school, he enjoys boxing and spending time with his two children. Mr. Velez hopes to provide a stress-free safe space for all students and faculty.