By KONSTANTINA SACOULAS
Biology teacher Ms. Calabrese joins the Jericho community with a love for teaching and excitement for a successful school year.
Ms. Calabrese attended Cornell for her undergraduate work where she was a biology major, specifically Biology in Society, and she got her master’s degree in education at Stony Brook. Prior to working at Jericho, she was an adjunct professor at Stony Brook University and a teacher at Massapequa Public Schools. Ms. Calabrese thinks Jericho is an excellent school so she is very excited to be here.
Science has always been Ms. Calabrese’s passion, and she has always wanted to help other people so she is happy that she gets to do both every day. She said, “I find teaching very personally fulfilling and everything is different every day so I feel like I always have to be on my toes.”
Ms. Calabrese sets up her students’ biology lab stations before class.
According to Ms. Calabrese, Jericho is different from the other high schools she taught at. She said, “I think the biggest difference is the students. They’re very self-motivated, excited to be here and to learn.”
Already, Ms. Calabrese has made a positive impression. Jericho High School freshman Monica R. said, “Ms. Calabrese is funny and she wants her students to succeed and do well. She’s very understanding and she puts herself in the place of her students.”
Curriculum Associate for Science and Technology, Ms. Kim Libertini, recognizes Ms. Calabrese’s love for teaching and her care for young people. She said, “Ms. Calabrese is highly intelligent, extremely organized, and prepared. I love the fact that she gives a lot of thought and insight to what students would enjoy when they are learning about topics.”
When she is not teaching biology, Ms. Calabrese enjoys walking outside, spending time with her family, reading, horseback riding, and going on short weekend trips.