Meet & Greet Some of Our New THS Staff Members!
Adriana Clukey
In the past couple of years, Terryville High School has hired multiple new staff members.
Ms. Miller is one of the new teachers, and she teaches history. When I asked her why she chose to teach history, she said “I had a really good AP US History teacher in high school. I hated history until I took his classes.” She talked about how her teacher would make up stories and convince them that they were true, and then at the end of the period that they weren’t true. One of the times that she talked about was when he convinced them that James K. Polk invented the polka dot. I also talked to her about why she chose to teach high schoolers. She talked about how there were multiple reasons, and not just her history teacher. She said that some of it was just reflecting on her own high school experience and what she liked about it, and then trying to replicate the good parts as a teacher. She also discussed that she enjoyed teaching high school students because “you’re old enough that you have enough life experience to talk to. I can actually help you guys with real life problems.” If you want to listen to highlights on Ms. Miller’s Spotify Wrapped 2022, Hozier and Mountain Goats were of particular note!
Ms. Lungarini is another new staff member of Terryville High School, and she teaches English classes. When I asked about why she chose to teach English, she told me “I always loved reading when I was growing up. I couldn’t get enough of books and as I got older my English teachers were some of my favorite teachers. They inspired me.” She also mentioned that one of her favorite parts of English is that “you can talk about life experience through books.” I also asked her why she chose to teach high schoolers, as opposed to other ages. Besides the obvious answer, of younger children requiring a lot more patience, she said that “High school is really formative years and it’s important for the adults surrounding them to treat them as humans.” Ms. Lungarini’s Spotify Wrapped feature some overlap with Ms. Miller (no surprise, besties!) such as Hozier but also had some edgier Billie Eilish and a surprising addition of Ed Sheerhan.
Mrs. Glaser is the new career counselor at Terryville High School. If you’re unfamiliar with the career center, it was formerly known as STC, or school to career. Her job is mostly to help students formulate a plan for when they must make the transition from high school to the workforce or to college. Her job is important, especially if you’re a senior and stressed because you have no idea what to do with your life after high school. I interviewed Ms. Glaser, and some of the things we discussed were why she chose this career, and what the career actually is. She got her undergraduate degree at the University of Hartford, and studied Occupational Therapy and Psychology there. She received her master’s degree and certification in School Counseling at the University of Saint Joseph. For almost 10 years, she worked as a therapist at a school for people diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and she also worked at other schools as a transition counselor, which is what she does here. She said that “I love the fact that this is a point in your life where you have your future in front of you.” These are really formative years of our lives, and it’s important that we have people in our lives who want to help us along that journey. She also said “I want to get to know who students are and make them feel like they’re heard.” This is something that really resonated with me, and most people could probably relate to that. While Mrs. Glaser does not have a Spotify account, she prefers the sounds of Sixpence None The Richer, NEEDTOBREATHE, Casting Crowns and MercyMe.
It’s easy to just go through the motions, but when you make a real connection with someone, that’s when a lasting impact is made. Interviewing these teachers and staff members made me realize how lucky we really are to have teachers in our lives that want to make a good, lasting impact on our lives. They all genuinely care about us and want us to succeed, and that is what makes a difference in our lives.