This year, Morris Hills High School welcomes seven new teachers to its halls. All of these new teachers each have a different personality, bringing various skill sets and experiences to their classrooms.

Previously teaching at Morris Knolls, Ms. Kaitlyn Nix now teaches biology and environmental science at Morris Hills. She is excited to develop new relationships with the teachers and administrators here at Hills. Graduating from William Paterson University, Ms. Nix loves peanut butter cups and used to have purple hair. She loves sea otters and plays rugby! 

Mr. Brett Izsa graduated from the University of Delaware with a Bachelor of Music in Music Education in 2020 and is currently working on a Master’s in Orchestral Conducting. He is a lover of all food and has a 6-year-old dog, Coda, that is a pitbull and boxer mix. He currently teaches String Ensemble and is an AVID tutor. He loves to travel and wants to be a “million miler” (flying a million miles). He has already been to 27 countries! He is a Morris Knolls alumni and is thrilled to be teaching in both schools.

Teaching CAD 1 and Introduction to Woods at Morris Hills Morris Knolls, Mrs. Marilyn Sawicki brings valuable skills to her classes. She loves the energy of our school and likes Pep Rallies! She got her undergraduate degree from Kean University and her master’s at Jersey City University. Her family loves to spend their time crabbing every summer, and her husband is known for his crab cakes! When she was growing up, her father would fix the neighbors’ cars to make a little extra money. She also lived in a working-class neighborhood, and so her neighbors didn’t always have money to pay her Dad, so instead, people would pay their family in bread or fish! She has three 3 children and has worked in various Design and Engineering roles. She loves her career and feels so fortunate to be teaching at this wonderful school.

Mr. Hector Mendoza teaches ESL at Morris Hills. He wants to make an impact on the school culture and the students here. He got his master’s and an undergraduate degree from Rutgers University and is currently at Saint Peter’s University working on his doctorate in Education. He loves to eat arepas from Venezuela and is a huge Mets fan. He listens to hard alternative rock music and has created his own punk album.

Ms. Kimberly Bory graduated from Binghamton University with a Bachelor of Science in Geology and Post University with a Master’s in Science in Education. At Hills, she teaches chemistry and astronomy. Ms. Bory loves Pad Thai, and her favorite word is “spaghettification” (stretching due to gravitational forces). She loves pets and currently has two dogs, two birds, and a gerbil. She has also been to over 10 National Parks!

Ms. Samora Brice is the newest addition to the art department at Morris Hills this year. She teaches both at Hills and Knolls. Some of her classes include Digital Art and Design, Cartooning and Animation, and Intro. to Art. Ms. Brice was working on maternity leave replacement at Basking Ridge and is officially a full-time teacher in the Hills district. Also she graduated from Savannah College of Art & Design. Outside of teaching, she is currently writing a graphic novel detailing the 2010 Haitian earthquake. The disaster hit close to home when her cousins from Haiti moved to Jersey to live with her family as a teenager.  Her artwork features vibrant colors, big eyes, and “cool hair.”

Graduating from the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez, Mr. Carlos Leborn currently teaches Geometry CPA CPB. He loves to eat rice and beans with pork chops and loves dogs and all things blue. He supports the New York Mets and actually played on the first football team from Puerto Rico to win a game stateside. He liked the welcoming nature of Morris Hills’ staff and students and is looking forward to a great year.

We welcome all of these new teachers with open arms. Hope you are having a great first year. Go, Knights!