New Teachers Enter Math, Special Education,

English Departments At NHS

By Tanjua Damon

Cari Strand

Her passion for English and her love of books are what prepared Cari Strand for teaching. She is a first-year English teacher at Newtown High School.

“English is my first passion,” Miss Strand said. “I love books. When I was little, my dream job was talking about books.”

Miss Strand is excited about her teaching position and enjoys the high school students that will cross her path this year and years to come.

“From my first day in the classroom, I was lucky. It felt right,” she said. “High school reads the best books first of all and teenagers are really fantastic people.”

She plans to take this year in stride and master the English course she is teaching.

“As a first-year teacher, to teach one course, I want to put all my energy into this one course,” Miss Strand said.

The high school students will have read Catcher in the Rye, 12 Angry Men, and A Raisin in the Sun in Miss Strand’s class.

“Teaching is fantastic,” she said. “The kids amaze me every day. They are open minded and their ability to express themselves is astounding.”

The Newtown School District fit into the style and philosophy of teaching that Miss Strand already envisioned.

“The philosophy of Newtown High School with the emphasis of respect was in direct line with my education philosophy,” she said.

A bit of advice she offered to people looking to become teachers: “Be willing to listen to your students. Don’t feel you can’t make changes based on their opinions.”

Miss Strand is a native of Connecticut. She has lived in Wallingford and Cheshire in the past, but now resides in Danbury. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Connecticut at Storrs and her masters from Quinnipiac College.

Chris Donnelly

Being able to help people and seeing students reach their potential are the driving forces for Chris Donnelly’s position as a special education teacher.

He received his bachelor’s degree from Merser University in Georgia in Psychology and Criminal Justice. His master’s degree is from Fairfield University in special education.

Mr Donnelly is a new special education teacher at Newtown High School this year, teaching social studies and math to special education students.

“I like helping people of course,” Mr Donnelly said about being a teacher. “I like seeing people reach their full potential, and I enjoy being that positive influence for the kids.”

Mr Donnelly felt he could be most effective as a teacher in special education because he feels strongly about helping students become good citizens and ready for the world that lies ahead.

“First of all, I feel that being a special education teacher in high school suits me because I feel strongly about helping kids be prepared for the real world,” he said. “The reality is that transitions for kids with disabilities is not an easy thing. Our major role is to prepare kids for vocational or post secondary education in some cases.”

He is enjoying being in Newtown and offers advice for teachers who are planning on teaching in the public system.

“Newtown really makes an effort to bring in young, new teachers, and I feel comfortable here,” Mr Donnelly said. “If you’re going to be a public school teacher get enough experience in public schools. You don’t have to be perfect. Strive to be your best. Nobody is perfect.”

Mr Donnelly is the assistant JV soccer coach and likes to travel.

He is a native of Connecticut and now lives in Dodgingtown with his wife, Robyn.

Annette Chionilos

When you ask students what their favorite subject is, math does not usually top the list. But the new math teacher at Newtown High School, Annette Chionilos, hopes to change that and make math an important part of her students’ lives.

Ms Chionilos is not a new teacher. She has been teaching math for seven years at other schools. Teaching is a second career for her; she once worked at an insurance company.

But since she really enjoyed math, she began volunteering some time as a tutor and felt she should try being a math teacher.

“I liked it so much I went back to grad school,” Ms Chionilos said. “I worked harder than I ever have. It’s very invigorating.”

So far things are going well for Ms Chionilos at Newtown High. She feels right at home.

“I like it very much,” she said. “The kids are really nice. As students, they are top notch, very conscientious and very polite.”

She sees around 100 students each day in her math classroom.

“It’s an excellent school,” Ms Chionilos said. “I love the kids.”

One thing Ms Chionilos is surprised about with her teaching is what she gets back from all the students she comes into contact with.

“One thing that surprised me is I went into teaching because I wanted to give something back,” she said. “What I didn’t realize is what they would give to me. The have changed me as a person over the years. They have given me so much.”

She likes to go biking, jogging, hiking. She also likes music and playing pool.