Before school officially begins, The Lion’s Roar wants to share a little bit of information with you about some of the new faculty joining the SW community this year. This article will tell you about the background and some of the goals and aspirations of the new additions to the faculty.
Josh Ull
Title: High School Student Life Coordinator
Background: “Before this I was the director of USY for all of New Jersey and now I am here. I grew up in public school my whole life so it’s really exciting for me to be at Schechter in a day school.”
“Whether through crazy dancing or exciting travel opportunities, my goal is to provide energized and inspiring experiences that motivate students to see their education as something that can be applied in countless ways throughout their lives.”
Rabbi Rafi Cohen
Title: Alumni Affairs Coordinator
Background: “Before coming to Schechter I served as a Synagogue Rabbi in Dallas for a few years, and before that I was a Rabbi in Florida where I was also at a Schechter School. Immediately [before] coming to this job at Schechter, Alumni Affairs [coordinator], I was Director of Jewish student life for Hillel at City College of New York.”
“When you graduate you will have tons of people, teachers and others watching you succeed; I will join them and also want to be one of those people who connects with you even when you’re no longer at school.”
Ms.Saeur
Title: Math Teacher
Background: “I was in Maryland because I went to school there, so I was teaching there last year in a public school. After I graduated, I was getting my masters and teaching Algebra I and Algebra II.”
“I want to work with students not only to teach them, but also to create relationships that allow them to teach me as well.”
Ms.Zelicof
Title: Dean of the Class of 2020
Background: “I did an internship at New Rochelle High School before this and then Scarsdale Middle School and then worked at a Middle School in Long Island for three months as a leave replacement.”
“I want students to know that my door is always open. Part of the really cool part about being a school counselor is that counselors can be in all types of settings… but being in a school allows you to interact with students all day long… My door is always, always open and I would love to have both easy and hard conversations with students.”
Ms.Fei
Title: Science Teacher
Background:“I went to school at King’s College in London where I got my undergraduate degree and my Masters degree in Biomedical Science and Human Physiology… then I came back to the U.S. and I started teaching, and I got my Masters degree in teaching at Vanderbilt.”
“I am really looking forward to meeting my students and having a lot of fun teaching science to them … I always want my students to try and understand something and explain it on their own first, using whatever evidence they are given or whatever evidence they collected … and then [I will] help them out when they need a hand, but they are scientists and they are the ones practicing science.”