Scarlet Knights Welcome 2018 New Staff Members

New teachers from left to right: Mr. Romano, Ms. Zirkel, Mr. Chapel, Ms. Rinaldi, Ms. Weisz, Mr. Livigne, Ms. Perry, Ms. Fleming, Ms. Carlson

Nicholas Livigne teaches Sculpture, Introduction to Art, Digital Art I, and Advanced Digital Art. He has been teaching for five years after graduating from the State University of New York. When asked about his free time, Mr. Livigne says that with his three children, he has none. Mr. Livigne has enjoyed his time at Morris Hills quite a bit; specifically, he said the administrators have been supportive, the kids have been great, and the classes have been good.

Jennifer Zirkel is an ESL teacher this year. She studied at Montclair State University and earned her Masters Degree at Rutgers University. She is a proud Morris Hills Alumni who graduated in 2010. Ms. Zirkel enjoys playing ice hockey and spending time with her friends, family, and dogs. She loves teaching ESL by guiding her students through a new language and watching their accomplishments.

Alyssa Perry teaches algebra. She spends her free time with friends and family and also enjoys exercising and reading. She attended Rutgers University, studying Mathematics and earned her Masters Degree in Math Education. Ms. Perry finds the students and teaching staff at Hills to be very welcoming and admires Morris Hills school spirit.

Jaclyn Weisz teaches science. She studied at the University of Maryland where she majored in biology and further earned her Masters Degree in Education at Montclair State University. Ms. Weisz’s hobbies include baking and cooking, as well as collecting cookbooks. She finds the staff at Morris Hills to be very supportive and encouraging.

Lara Carlson teaches algebra and geometry. Ms. Carlson attended college at Fairleigh Dickinson University. After college, she taught in Thailand and Hawaii. Ms. Carlson enjoys spending time with her six-month-old son.

Claude Chapel is a German teacher. Mr. Chapel previously taught at Watchung Hills in Warren NJ; he also taught briefly at Morris Hills and Morris Knolls last year. Mr. Chapel grew up in Geneva, France and enjoys watching tennis, taking walks, and listening to music. He loves the challenge of mastering his content well enough to create different ways to teach it based on the different learning styles of students.

Janine Rinaldi is a language specialist. Ms. Rinaldi attended The College of New Jersey, studying Elementary Education and Sociology. She later earned her Masters Degree in Communication Disorders. In her free time she enjoys spending time with family, taking trips to the beach, and visiting Disney World. When asked why she is passionate about her profession she stated that, “Speech-language therapy is important for students to find their voice so they can advocate for themselves,speak clearly to others, and build strong relationships.”

John Romano is an ESL teacher. Mr. Romano studied at Loyola University in Maryland, majoring in Writing and Political Science He also earned his Masters Degree in Language Education from Rutgers. Previously, Mr. Romano taught fourth-grade English, as well as high school in Thailand, where he discovered his love for teaching. Mr. Romano shared that he teaches to help his students be able to communicate, express themselves, and show their capabilities because he believes this is crucial to their academic success and happiness.

Lisa Fleming teaches World History, Geometry, Algebra, and English. This is her first year at Morris Hills, but her fifth year teaching. She attended the College of New Jersey for her undergraduate degree and Kean University for her masters degree. In her free time, Ms. Fleming enjoys playing soccer and hiking.

Sarah Wlazlowski teaches at both Morris Knolls and Morris Hills, where she leads the string ensemble. She has been teaching for three years since graduating from Rowan University.. One thing Mrs. Wlazlowski has noticed about the Morris Hills community is how motivated all of the students are and how much they have grown musically since she has joined. In her free time, Mrs. Wlazlowski performs music professionally and plays at musicals.

Dean Del Guercio teaches chemistry at both Morris HIlls and Morris Knolls. He has been teaching for twelve years since graduating from William Paterson and enjoys the experience of teaching at both schools. In his free time, Mr. Del Guercio loves spending time with his three year old child, coaching and umpiring for baseball, and fixing things around his house.