By Dhavni Desai, Erik Mixcoatl, Gisel Santamaria and Guadalupe Garcia

Mr. Frank

Mr. Frank, a graduate of Columbia University with degrees in Math and Economics is our latest addition to the PHS Math Department. Let us solve this equation: What does a recent college graduate from a highly recognized school plus PHS equal? The answer is a greater understanding for any student interested in the math field.

Mr. Frank has a great passion for math and wants his students to obtain that same outlook. He would like his students to push their knowledge of math and strive for academic mastery. Also, he hopes that when students leave his class they will able to use math in the real world.

Ms. Yan

Ms Yan, currently a new biology and human anatomy teacher at PHS. attended a very prestigious school, Cornell University, where she was a Biological Science and Nutritional Science double major.

Ms. Yan wants her students to set goals for themselves, not only in their academic lives, but also in their personal lives. She said, “Having a vision is nothing without the work ethnic necessary to see it come to fruition.”

Ms. Yan swam all through high school and into college. She even went to Olympic tryouts! She also boxes three times a week, sometimes she even wakes up at 3 a.m. to go to boxing practice. For the future, she hopes to start her own charter school which would specialize in helping students further in such fields as bioengineering. In addition, she would like to start her own non-profit organization, which would give students quality tutoring to prepare for the SATs or college entrance exams.

Mr. Simon

Mr. Simon is a new and very dedicated environmental science and chemistry teacher. He received his MA from Stanford University and his BA from Michigan University where he also was part of a jazz band. Mr. Simon wants his students to realize the power that they have. He also wants his students to realize that they can do anything they set their minds to do. “If they don’t get something, they can get help and work to understand it. If they don’t like what’s happening in their community, they can change it. If they want to pursue some crazy career, they can do it,” he shared.

Mr. Simon gives his students after school tutoring and helps them in many ways. He truly cares about them. He said “It’s an honor to be a part of the Passaic community. I’m proud to say that I teach at PHS.”

Mr. Garcia

Mr. Garcia, the latest addition to the Industrial Arts Department, has been teaching in Passaic for 34 years. He earned his degree in Industrial Arts in 1978 from Kean University and has been inspiring students ever since.

Mr. Garcia coached the JV baseball team for PHS back in the 90’s. He even coached Little League for 6 years.

Teaching is all in the family for Mr. Garcia. His two sons, Steven and Daniel, are also teachers in New Jersey. One thing Mr. Garcia enjoys doing is going sky diving. He went sky diving before school started and plans on doing it again. It’s great to have such a highly motivational teacher here at Passaic High School.

Mr. Lauricella

A great addition to PHS is Mr. Lauricella, who is part of the History Department. Mr. Lauricella has a BA in History which he earned at Montclair State University. He likes PHS and its diversity. In fact, he believes the diversity here is a huge advantage because it helps in class debates. This is a change from his high school, which was in the suburbs of New Jersey that lacked diversity.

Mr. Lauricella is originally from Los Angeles California. So far, his experience in PHS has been fun he said, but he found the whole first month of school to be weird. Mr. Lauricella’s vision for PHS is to become a breeding ground for success within the city, and for all the students to be proud of PHS.

Mrs. Peppers

Mrs. Peppers, a new member of the Science Department, earned her BA in Biology and her MA in Zoology at Texas Tech University. She came from a small farming community in Alberta, Canada. In fact, her high school graduating class only had 83 students.

Mrs. Peppers works in the Department of, Instructional Support Services. However, like many PHS teachers, she also has Caf duty, which she finds amusing. “Cafeteria duty is always entertaining,” she said.

Mrs. Peppers especially likes the diversity of PHS. “I think the diversity of PHS creates a unique opportunity for rich learning experiences,” she stated.

Mrs. Pepper’s vision for PHS is based on everyone giving it their all. “This high school is capable of remarkable improvement as well as high levels of academic achievement,” she shared.

Ms. Nunez

Ms Nunez a new entrant to the Special Education Department, graduated from Montclair State University with a BA in English and is currently pursuing an MA in Special Education.

Ms Nunez has only been here a month, and so far she believes her experience has been great. She went to school in Union City, so she’s used to a large urban school.

Ms Nunez is teaching English to five freshman classes, which is very demanding. It’s wonderful that Ms. Nunez was able to join us on such short notice, and we know she will give it her all to do the best for her students.

Ms. Yildirim

Ms.Yildirim is part of the Math Department here in PHS. She has a degree in Mathematics which she earned at Montclair State University. Ms. Yildirim teaches algebra and geometry. She loves the diversity in PHS because she thinks that students learn from different cultures. Her vision for PHS is academic excellence.

Ms. Yildirim, from Wayne, went to Wayne Valley High School. She says both schools are great with much school spirit and involvement.

Ms. Fourounjian

Ms. Fourounjian, a new member to PHS’s Math Department, teaches algebra and HSPA math. She graduated from Montclair State University with a degree in Mathematics. What she truly enjoys is learning from her student’s diverse cultures and trying different foods she never knew existed. Her goal for this year is to have all students pass the HSPA.

Ms. Fourounjian is originally from Parsippany. Her high school wasn’t anything like PHS because she went to an all girls school. So far, the funniest thing she has experienced is her students mispronouncing her unique last name.