Emily Brand
News Editor
As graduation approaches, many teachers and faculty have been taking the time to reflect on the school year. Three faculty members in particular, English teacher James Luongo, school psychologist Dr. Rossella Fanelli and technology integration teacher Cathy Swan, will all lead very different lives come fall as they retire at the end of this school year.
Although Mr. Luongo entered the field of teaching in 1969 to avoid the draft, he finds it hard to imagine his life outside of the academic calendar. Mr. Luongo considers himself lucky to have fallen in love with teaching, his love for language guiding him through his 44 year career in the U.S. and Switzerland. English department head Heidi D’Acosta has had a first hand account of Mr. Luongo’s teaching style. “He really promoted culture and student involvement and learning things that they might not ordinarily experience,” she said. “He really gets kids to experience and see things that might not be in their taste, it might be a little stretch for them.”
Mr. Luongo feels that he has truly learned the importance of language itself, speaking both French and English. “I tend to have a sharper view of what I value in life than I had before I had the international experience,” he said. “I always liked seeing kids learn from their own experience, rather than from a book or what somebody tells them. And, when you’re out on a field trip, that’s what you do, you have an experience, and it provides a good opportunity for kids to learn.”
Despite currently being an English teacher, some of Mr. Luongo’s fondest memories are from when he was the coordinator of the Drama program from 1989-2006. He hoped that students would take away a lifetime of involvement in the theater from their experience with him, and took pride in the strong technical crew they developed. Ms. D’Acosta also felt that one of Mr. Luongo’s biggest impacts at the high school has been through theater. “He really engaged students so much in terms of responsibility for productions, I know we’ve grown much bigger, but those one act plays that he would do at the beginning of the year were very important.”
English teacher Darcy Smith remembered chaperoning a field trip with Mr. Luongo when she first came to the high school. “I thought, he was so generous with his students,” she said. “One of the things he did, on the bus, that I thought was so helpful and thoughtful was that he brought snacks along for all of his students. And I think Jim has always thought of his students in such a generous way. Not just as a teacher, but as a caring adult who really bears a genuine concern for people’s well being and happiness and comfort. It’s just the epitome of who he is, just incredibly thoughtful.”
As for what the future holds for him, Mr. Luongo looks forward to the challenge of change. “I have, hopefully, several days ahead of me when I don’t have to follow a schedule,” he said. “I’ll have sufficient means to travel and do some things I want to do. And so that’s the kind of opportunity I’m talking about, to start over.”
School psychologist Dr. Rossella Fanelli has been in the New Canaan school system since 1979, starting at East school for 15 years and then coming to the high school for 20 years. Over the years, Dr. Fanelli has realized how much she loves working with adolescents, being a part of their lives, problem solving with them and watching them question the status quo.
According to guidance counselor Jane Mitchell, Dr. Fanelli deeply cares about students and actively stays informed of things that affect them. “I think that she will be remembered for her empathy and genuine care for people, and her ability to help students work through problems,” Ms. Mitchell said. “She has made an un-sung hero difference in many students’ lives.”
Ms. Mitchell also noted how supportive Dr. Fanelli is of extracurricular activities, having founded the Gay Straight Alliance club in 2000. “There are so many things I’ve interacted with at the high school,” Dr. Fanelli said. “I think the biggest impact is the fact that I can do so many different things at the high school. I’ve worked with a variety of students; I’ve worked with terrific guidance counselors… I’ve had the opportunity to do different types of things. In some places school psychologists just do a lot of testing and that’s it, but here, there are a variety of roles that we play from prevention to intervention to doing testing to problem solving.”
Dr. Fanelli has worked with over 15 interns throughout her career and is proud of the influence she’s had on school psychologists in the workforce. Even though their jobs involve heavy subject matters, Ms. Mitchell loves that she can just relax and laugh a little with Dr. Fanelli when they’re working on a tough situation. Dr. Fanelli agreed, “Things can get pretty serious, and sometimes it’s very tragic, but I think you have to have a sense of humor to get through even the most tragic things.”
One thing in particular that Dr. Fanelli looks forward to after her retirement is breaking out of her usual routine, and pursuing other interests. “I’ve thought of maybe writing, writing a book, writing articles,” she said. “I could teach at the university level, I could have a private practice. I want to travel, I already have a safari planned for next year in South Africa.”
Coming off the recent accreditation visit, one teacher specifically has focused on the goal of giving our school 21st century learning skills. “Teaching technology in 2013 means being ready to learn something new every single day, and I love that, and I’ll miss it,” technology integration teacher Cathy Swan said. Ms. Swan will be retiring at the end of this year after putting 30 years into NCHS.
Library Department Chair Michelle Luhtala thinks of Ms. Swan as an inspiration as well as a long time friend. “As far as leadership and being a role model for me in particular, she’s been one of the greatest educators I’ve ever worked with,” she said. “I’ve learned so much from her. She was our first technology integration teacher ever at the high school, and she defined that role very clearly and early on in her 10 years here and she made sure that that role was to be a true technology integrator. Not just somebody who fixes things, but someone who teaches things, and that’s been very valuable for the growth of this learning community.”
One of Ms. Swan’s first loves in life was language and once she discovered French she made a goal to become fluent and to travel. She started her NCHS career in 1983 as a French teacher, but shifted her job description to ‘technology integration teacher’ in 2002 when the position opened up. “My goal, in this job, was to give every student the broadest experience in as many technologies as possible in their four years at New Canaan High School, so that when they leave here they feel comfortable with all technologies,” she said.
Ms. Swan has remained involved in language in the high school, mentoring French students, helping them with independent studies and participating in French club. “Teaching has been my biggest accomplishment because I’m able to impact so many kids every single day, and even when you teach the same thing every day, year after year, over and over again… it’s always different kids with different personalities and my goal was always to get to know every one of my students personally, to understand what they needed, and to try and make them love the things that I loved,” she said.
During her retirement, Ms. Swan plans to travel the world and continue to teach French, but will miss interacting with students on a day-to-day basis. “I’ve loved everything that I’ve done here and everything that I’ve experienced,” she said. “So I’m excited, but I’m also very sad to leave. It’s going to be very weird not to hang out with kids and to have an impact on what they do, who they are and where they go.”
