By CHARLOTTE LEIGH, AARON MARASIA, JULIA PENCHUK and LEETAL PREZELMAYER
Jericho High School hired 12 new faculty members for the 2018-19 school year. The JerEcho welcomes Ms. Garcia, Ms. Stroh, Mr. Ciminelli, Mr. Yerramsetty, Mr. Wu, Ms. Hume, Ms. Soltan, Ms. Survilla, Mr. DeCicco, Ms. Brown, Mr. Sloan, and Ms. Kaminsky.
Ms. Garcia is a geometry teacher at Jericho High School. She has been in education for five years, and she previously taught at Berner Middle School in Massapequa. Before teaching Ms. Garcia studied at Hofstra University and St. John’s University. In her free time, Ms. Garcia loves to watch “The Office,” take ballet classes, cook, and do crafts. This summer Ms. Garcia will be getting married to her high school sweetheart.
Farmingdale High School, Class of 2009
Although Ms. Stroh was once a leave replacement here in Jericho, she was hired as a full-time mathematics teacher for this school year. Ms. Stroh attended Saint Joseph’s College and has been in education since her graduation from the university. In her free time, Ms. Stroh likes to watch “The Bachelor” or “The Bachelorette” and spend time with her husband and her family. Also, she is a national champion in baton twirling.
Sachem North High School, Class of 2007
Mr. Ciminelli is the not-so-new art teacher in the Jericho School District. Mr. Ciminelli teaches Studio Art, Drawing and Painting, Art Seminar, and AP Art, and coaches the varsity baseball team. Before this year, Mr. Ciminelli worked at Westbury High School and Robert Seaman Elementary School. He went to Flagler College and then Farmingdale State College. Mr. Ciminelli has loved working at the high school and said, “The staff is super supportive, and I feel like all the students I have met so far have been very eager to learn and try to get better at everything.”
Wantagh High School, Class of 2002
Mr. Yerramsetty is a chemistry teacher for the high school. Mr. Yerramsetty attended undergraduate school in India and graduate school in both Louisiana and New York City. Before becoming a teacher, Mr. Yerramsetty was a chemical engineer and taught in New York City before coming to Jericho. He loves the quality of the students at Jericho and all the festivities here. In his free time, Mr. Yerramsetty watches “Pardon the Interruption” and cooks many different cuisines.
St. Paul’s High School (Hyderabad, India), Class of 2004
Mr. Wu is a guidance counselor at Jericho High School who studied at New York University and has been in education for 18 years. Mr. Wu enjoys working in Jericho and the sense of community he feels here. When he was in high school, he never thought he was going to be a guidance counselor. He thought he was going to go into a medical field like his father.
John L. Miller Great Neck North High School, Class of 1994
Ms. Hume is a leave replacement for Ms. Carnes. She studied education at Marist College and currently teaches Algebra 1 and 2. Before working at Jericho, Ms. Hume worked at North Shore High School. Ms. Hume enjoys working at Jericho because she loves “getting to know the students and watching them succeed.”
MacArthur High School, Levittown, Class of 2013
Ms. Soltan is a business teacher and teaches Business Law, Personal Finance, Sports and Entertainment Management, and Economics. She attended Molloy College and then attended Hofstra University. In high school, she loved business and knew she wanted to continue with it in her career. In her free time, she walks her dogs or spends time with her husband, who she married over the summer.
Calhoun High School, Class of 2011
Ms. Survilla teaches geometry, Pre-Calculus, and Pre-Calculus Research. Before teaching, she went to Binghamton University for her undergraduate degree, John Hopkins University for her masters, and is now working towards her second masters at LIU Post. Aside from teaching, Ms. Survilla enjoys watching “Jeopardy” with her family and going to the gym before school.
MacArthur High School, Class of 2011
Mr. DeCicco is the leave replacement for Ms. Harsche. Mr. DeCicco teaches Pre-Calculus and Algebra 2. Before working at his first teaching job at Mount Morris High School, he attended SUNY Geneseo. He became a teacher because he “was always good at math and tutored it throughout high school.” After school, Mr. DeCicco enjoys watching “Jersey Shore” and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.”
Commack High School, Class of 2013
Ms. Kaminsky is a French teacher for both the high school and middle school. Prior to teaching students, she studied at SUNY New Paltz for her undergraduate degree, Adelphi University for her masters, and the University of Franche-Comte in France. Before coming to Jericho, she taught French and reading skills at the Syosset School District and Valley Stream School District. Ms. Kaminsky loves how the student body and teachers have welcomed her to the school. “Everybody has been so kind and welcoming,” she said.
Ms. Brown teaches A.P. Seminar for 10th graders and ELA for 7th graders. She has been teaching for 10 years in various grades, and for one year she was a grant director for a not-for-profit organization. She attended Fordham University. She loves working at Jericho because the students are “so enthusiastic and passionate about reading and even writing poetry.” She added, “My A.P. students are so creative, and are critical thinkers with the way they think about politics, economics, and literature. It’s fun to be surrounded by deep thinkers all day long.”
Mr. Sloan is the School Counseling Curriculum Associate. He has been in education for 17 years, and before coming to Jericho he worked as the Assistant Principal for Counseling at Cold Spring Harbor High School. Mr. Sloan studied at Elon University and Hofstra University. Additionally, Mr. Sloan took a gap year after high school and studied abroad in Norway for a year. After school, Mr. Sloan loves to spend time with his three children and watch “The Big Bang Theory.”
