By Brenda Bolouvi and Rachel Houng
Several members of the New Hyde Park faculty have announced their retirement in the past year. Students and teachers whom these individuals have impacted reminisce on memories as the days pass, coming closer to the end of the year when ultimately many will have to say farewell to these New Hyde Park community members.
Ms. Mirecki has been a teacher for the English department at the school for sixteen years. She expressed her admiration and love for the performance teams at the school, saying that she would come back and watch them perform in the future during events like Homecoming and pep rallies.
“I will miss my students, most of all. I’ll miss all of my friends and the fun that goes on in the English Department office. Don’t be afraid to be curious and enjoy your time at NHP; time flies so treat every day like it’s your last,” said Ms. Mirecki.
Sources from Ms. Anita Mirecki
Ms. Mirecki gets literary on a recent trip to London; students from the Class of 2017 smile with Ms. Mirecki at a football game.
Business teacher Ms. Stein has been at NHP for 26 years and has been a teacher in the Sewanhaka district for 31 years.
“I always looked forward to the interaction I have with my students. I learn a little from them every day,” said Ms. Stein.
She has taught some of the teachers at New Hyde Park, including Ms. Nicastro, Ms. Madigan, Ms. Rizzuti, Ms. Bastardi, Ms. Del Santo, and Mr. Kern. Ms. Stein hopes that she has encouraged her students to learn the importance of various interpersonal skills, such as good time management and organizational skills. She wants students to realize that hard work and determination are both a lot more important than sheer talent and intelligence alone.
“Your will and drive is a lot more important than your IQ,” said Ms. Stein.
“I am sure that I want to explore a [business] pathway. It was [Ms. Stein’s] class that gave me more confidence in presenting my projects,” said sophomore Nikson Alex.
Source by Anna Detke
Ms. Stein poses for the camera while teaching a business class.
Ms. Riley has been part of the business department at New Hyde Park for 33 years. After retirement, she said she would miss the excitement that students bring when they display interest in computer science and investigate new programming challenges from her web page design class. She hopes that her students will learn to be proactive in their lives, which has been difficult to accomplish, especially with the large disconnect caused by the ongoing pandemic.
Source by Ms. Lyn Riley
30 years ago, Ms. Riley and Ms. Stein smiled for a picture together early in their teaching career.
“Learn to be the person that says good morning to people and truly has life, knows who you are, shows up, and goes the extra mile,” said Ms. Riley.
“I would like to tell Ms. Riley, thank you for being such an interactive and funny teacher. I’ll miss hearing stories about your family and laughing at your silly jokes during lessons,” said senior Ashley Predvil.
Source by Anna Detke
Ms. Riley works on grading students' assignments.
Mr. Sanossian has been a part of the social studies department for a long time. He has expressed his plans to move into his new home located near Lake Norman in North Carolina with his wife. While looking forward to enjoying music and cycling, he indulges in his dreams to pursue music and will soon form a band. New Hyde Park has given Mr. Sanossian an abundance of memories to the point where it would not do it justice to just highlight one. The history teacher expressed that he feels so fortunate to have spent time with his students or as he calls them, “kids.” He hopes to have his students understand that everyone can initiate change in this world and embrace any opportunity. He sincerely hopes that his students take away the most important lesson of all.
“Always be true to yourself,” said Mr. Sanossian.
Source by Anna Detke Mr. Sanossian teaches remote students through his laptop at the same time as teaching students in the classroom.
While the hallways will never be the same as these teachers retire, the Gladiators have all come together to wish these teachers farewell and good luck.