Kate Howard
Reporter
On June 22, NCHS will say farewell to four familiar faces that have greatly impacted the school community for many years. Photography and film teacher Peter Kingsbury, math teacher Attila Levai, science teacher Dr. Hannah Shear, and Special Education teacher Barbara Wright have announced their retirement.
Photography and film teacher Peter Kingsbury
Mr.Kingsbury has been working here for 33 years, thought the school first had an influence on his life in 1965, when he enrolled himself. “I learned these things from the best teachers I ever experienced. One of them saved me. Good teaching can be measured, but great teaching is a mystery. How does one person liberate another? Perhaps I became a teacher to understand that -but I am no closer to understanding than I was on the first day,” he said.
Mr. Kingsbury has led the development of photo and cinema as areas of study in art. “When I started there was one darkroom with two or three enlargers. Now there are two full computer labs and two shooting studios serving 10 classes each semester,” he said. His other contributions include initiating the Student Gallery and developing the Fritz Eager Purchase Award and the Bernice Hall Summer Art Scholarship.
According to Mr.Kingsbury, NCHS has been his artistic home. “I’m an artist, so I am trying to understand my passage through NCHS by making a film about it -with the help of some of my students.” The film is named “Blake’s Divine Comedy”and people can learn more about it at http://www.nchsfilm.org/nchsfilm/BDC.html.
Fellow photography teacher Jeanne McDonagh, who respects Mr. Kingsbury as a colleague and admires his work, reflected upon his retirement. She said, “I will miss his computer knowledge and having an in-house nerd in the department, as well as his dry sense of humor.”
Math teacher Attila Levai
After teaching math for over 40 years, 37 years at NCHS, Mr. Levai’s humorous stories and daily homework quizzes will leave a void in room 301. According to Principal Tony Pavia, Mr. Levai still has the enthusiasm of a first year teacher with both students and faculty. “He is literally Mr. Red and Black, the heart and soul of NCHS. I know of no one who has been more student centered and more supportive of student activities than Mr Levai,” Mr. Pavia said. “In a way, the annual bonfire really tells the story. He is not only there collecting wood all week, but he is also building the fire, doing crowd control, selling food and taking pictures all at the same time.”
After almost four decades of teaching every math level offered, Mr. Levai said he hoped he has challenged students and freed them to think. According to Mr. Levai, the best part of his job was the interaction with students. “It’s the fun and interesting part of my job that keeps it new and fresh,” he said.
For Mr. Levai, New Canaan has had an impact on his personal and professional life. “[New Canaan] has been the most influential thing for me,” Mr. Levai said. “Professionally, it kept my own math mind ticking and, personally, with my wife at Saxe [Middle School] and my three daughters who all graduated from NCHS, my entire family has had a positive experience.”
Science teacher Dr. Hannah Shear
Dr. Shear, who has worked in the science department for 11 years, taught various levels of Biology as well as the Science Research Program, which she initiated with the support of then Principal Bernie Josephsberg and Science Chair Tony Giancola. She said the program was one of the most gratifying accomplishments of her career.
“We started with a small group of students and now have about 20 students in the program. It is a multi-year course in which we discuss what’s going on in science research by reading from the scientific literature,” Dr. Shear said. “We also have mini-courses, guest speakers, field trips and some labs and have had two Intel Semi-finalists: Ilya Belopolski and Caroline Casavant.” Another important feature for the program, she said, was the local summer research lab internships that allowed students to meet young scientists from all over the world.
Dr. Shear said she decided to retire while still in good health so she can travel and spend time with her husband in New York City, going to the theater and museums. “But, I’ll definitely miss hearing ‘Hi Dr. Shear’ or ‘Hi Doc’ in the halls,” she said. Even though, she came from a Medical school/Research environment, her adjustment to working with high school students has brought a valuable contribution to NCHS.
Special Education teacher Barbara Wright
Ms. Wright has served the New Canaan Public School system and the special education department for 37 years, 15 at NCHS. Ever since college graduation, she said her experience in New Canaan has been amazing, and that it has been one of the most nurturing environments you could work. “In the morning, I look forward to seeing the kids, along with Mr. Pavia and the other assistant principals at the front door to start the day off right,” Ms. Wright said.
Along with assisting students primarily on English and Reading, Ms. Wright said she enjoyed the people with whom she worked. “The staff is so supportive of each other’s efforts and it takes the work of a team to be successful,” she said.
Gradually making the decision to leave over the past several years, Ms. Wright looks forward to getting into some of her hobbies such as photography, jewelry making, and other crafts. She also plans to move west, closer to family.
As these teachers plan to depart from NCHS, their extraordinary service and contributions to this institution as well as lives of the students they’ve touched will be remembered after retirement.
