Emily Telesco, Editor-in-Chief
Graphic by Emily Telesco
For the 2025-2026 school year, NCHS welcomed 19 new teachers across multiple different departments, each bringing new perspectives, experiences and enthusiasm to the classroom. Among them is French teacher Hannah Krutz and Physics teacher Mathew Apgar.
Hannah Krutz, a recent college graduate, teaches French II, II Honors, and III Honors. “I just graduated from Southern Connecticut State University in May, and I did my student teaching over the last year teaching in public schools,” she said. “So, this is actually my first teaching job.”
Mathew Apgar, who currently teaches AP Physics 1 and AP Physics C, has past teaching experience at two other schools in Connecticut. “Before coming here I taught at Fairfield Ward High School for the last eight years, and before that, I taught at Fairchild Wheeler Aerospace Magnet school,” he said.
A brand new school community often leaves new teachers with distinct first impressions of the environment. Regarding NCHS, they seem to take notice of the students’ dedication to their academics and community. “I’ve noticed that students and staff alike are really invested in the school climate and in their academics,” Ms. Krutz said. “I have a group of students who work really hard and want to do well, and I can also see from the teachers I work with that they’re trying to push their students to be the best they can possibly be.”
Similarly, Mr. Apgar found that there is a positive balance between academic rigor and extracurricular activities. “It seems like everyone here is really serious about what they do academically, but they also enjoy having fun with sports and other activities,” he said. “Overall, I really like the vibe here.”
In addition to teaching, many teachers often have fun hobbies they’re involved in outside of the classroom that students may not know about. Ms. Krutz, for example, teaches workout classes. “I used to be a dancer, so I recently started teaching barre classes, which has been really fun,” she said. “I also really like reading. I have a pretty long commute so I’ve been listening to a lot of audiobooks, which I’ve been enjoying.”
In addition to outdoor activities like snowboarding, hiking and rock climbing, Mr. Apgar participates in a rather unique hobby. “Sometimes I like to do competitive target shooting, like shooting clay targets,” he said. “I actually went to the Junior Olympics for that when I was younger, so that’s definitely my weird hobby.”
A new school year often inspires people to set personal goals and challenge themselves. For Ms. Krutz, this year is a chance to balance high expectations while maintaining a sense of understanding and patience. “Being a teacher is not easy and it’s a lot of work, so I want to give myself as much grace as possible and understand that not every class is going to be perfect,” she said. “At the same time, I know what I’m capable of, so I want to make sure I’m coming in every day with my best foot forward and just working as hard as I can.”
