By Sarah Maddox
Reporter
This year, NCHS is undergoing changes largely focusing on school-wide security as well as technology use. However, perhaps the largest change this year is the influx of new teachers. Get to know these new faculty members, and put names to faces with these new teacher bios.
Name: Matthew Quinn
Subjects: 9th and 11th grade English, Film and Literature
About: Mr. Quinn spent his summer moving from Maryland to Fairfield County. This will be his thirteenth year teaching, and he is excited to experience everything that NCHS has to offer. Mr. Quinn first became interested in English in high school, when he attended an all boys private school and had an English teacher he will never forget. He “made high school boys think differently about poetry,” he said. Mr. Quinn wants to be “tough but fair” with his students this year and push them to be the best they can be, just like his teacher did with him. He coached track in the past, and hopes to get involved in the program someday at NCHS. Although you won’t find Mr. Quinn smiling a lot in the halls, he wants to make sure students don’t mistake him for being angry. “I’m just usually thinking about things and kind of zone out,” he said. “I’m very approachable.”
Name: Katie Phee
Subjects: 9th and 11th grade English, Creative Writing
About: Ms. Phee is looking forward to having her very own classroom for the first time this year at NCHS. “I got a really good vibe from the school, so I’m really excited,” she said. It’s important to Ms. Phee to incorporate technology into the classroom, so this year her students should expect to learn with many different tools and devices. Aside from more technological involvement, Ms. Phee will also bring her passion for yoga to the high school, and she would like to start a club this year specifically for yoga. She is very new to this area of Connecticut, and is excited to not only get to know the school, but also the community.
Name: Courtney Hawes
Subjects: 10th and 12th grade Creative Writing, Family Matters
About: Ms. Hawes her travel experiences to NCHS, which she is excited to share with her students. For the past six years, Ms. Hawes has been abroad, spending four years in Switzerland and two years near London. Before going abroad, Ms. Hawes taught at Greenwich High school. She is happy to be back in the US, although it was a difficult move this summer. She believes that teaching English gives her a unique opportunity to bond with her students. It allows her to “talk with students in a very natural way,” she said. “There are many personal connections that can be made with students through discussing literature.”
