New staff members are excited to bring a different perspective

Imogen Rawlings, Reporter
@irawlingcourant

Every year, new teachers and staff join our school community. These newcomers share their hobbies, background, and goals. 

History teacher, Michael Forcucci, teaches three sections of Global History 2 for sophomores and two sections of United States History for juniors. Growing up in Cheshire Connecticut, he later taught at Oxford High School, for ten years. “I think what I’ve learned that has helped me the most is how to get kids involved in class and getting everyone to be comfortable sharing and speaking their ideas,” he said. 

Mr. Forcucci hopes to get his students to think differently about his content. “It’s kind of a different world for all of you where you have access to all the information but the challenge is making sense of it.”

While he notes the struggles of fitting everything into his schedule, he also finds that teaching history is very rewarding. “I still hear from kids who graduated years ago and it’s always cool to hear what they are up to and that they still remember me,” he said.

Nurse Betsy Imbrogno grew up locally in Ridgefield, Connecticut and also loves spending time with her family and friends. She enjoys running, hiking, and going to sporting events.

Ms. Imbrogno hopes to bring a positive light for kids when they are here in school. “I always knew I wanted to be a nurse, my grandmother was a nurse, my godmother was a nurse, and I have always enjoyed helping people,” she said.

Science teacher Mary Kavanaugh is from Fairfield, Connecticut and recently graduated from UConn. Ms. Kavanaugh teaches three sections of Geophysical Science for freshmen and one section of Environmental Science for the alternative program. She is family-focused and has four younger siblings that she loves to spend time with. “I am very into sports and going to football and lacrosse games,” she said. “I also love boating in the summer at the lake in New Fairfield.” 

She values the importance of getting to know her students and building relationships with them. “The most frustrating aspect of teaching is keeping kids on task and away from side conversations. But it is most rewarding when kids have that ‘Ah-ha’ moment and something finally makes sense.” Ms. Kavanaugh said that New Canaan is definitely a special place to be.

Librarian Megan Mabee also shares some interesting hobbies and goals for this year. Originally from Shelton, she graduated from UConn and later moved to North Carolina to complete her library studies. While her favorite books include the Book Thief by Markus Zusak and the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling, she always finds it exciting to be around new books. “I am a big creative writer and I used to do a writers critique group in North Carolina,” she said. “We would meet every other week and share our writing and give each other feedback.”

In her spare time, she goes on walks with her one-year-old son. “I’ve actually been working on a children’s book idea and have been inspired these walks,” she said. Ms. Mabee said that she is already learning so much and that everyone has been nice and welcoming.