SHS Welcomes New Staff

Mr. Guanci

    Mr. Guanci is one of the new English teachers here at Scituate High School. He teaches Freshman English, AP Language and Composition, and Literature of the Self.

    Guanci grew up in Sudbury, Massachusetts, then went to Boston College to study philosophy, history, and economics. He then continued to UMass Boston for his master’s degree. Guanci started his career teaching English in South Korea. One of his friends was a teacher and that’s the reason he went into it., “it just sounded like my dream job,” He said.

    Guanci’s favorite song to dance to is Shout by The Isley Brothers. When asked what his spirit animal was, his initial answer was “unicorn” then he changed it to a grizzly bear.

    Guanci’s favorite thing about teaching is “helping people get from a certain point in life and seeing them grow and learn new things to help them succeed in life.” Guanci thinks SHS is different from other schools. He said, “The students are polite and kind, and they say thank when they leave. The faculty wants students to do well.” Guanci’s last comment for The Scituation was, “Go Sailors!”

Mr. Vuchichevich

    Walking past his room in the hallway, you may have wondered, “How do you pronounce his name?” Mr. Vuchichevich, one of Scituate’s newest English teachers, says it’s pronounced “voo-cha-che-vich.” Here at SHS, he teaches two honors English 2 courses, AP Litertaure, Literature to Film, and Intro to Theatre Arts.

    Growing up in a small town in Illinois where “there’s as many people as strip malls,” Vuchichevich said he decided to move to the East Coast and study English, Secondary Education, and Theatre Arts at Boston University. He wanted to go into teaching because he enjoys helping people help themselves. However, his favorite part of teaching is the kids., “Yyou put students in a situation where they can learn from themselves in a really meaningful way,” he said.  

    In high school, English was always Vuchichevich’s favorite subject because he said, “Yyou can be more creative in English than you can in other subjects.”

    Vuchichevich says a penguin is his spirit animal because “from a distance it looks put together — almost like it’s wearing a suit — then you get up close and it’s waddling around and falling over, and I feel like that’s my state of being — classy looking and goofy and clumsy — that’s what I do with my life.” When asked about his favorite song, Vuchichevich replied,  “Oh that’s tough. There are many songs in the world to dance to. Let’s go old school, This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody) by Talking Heads. It’s a jam — very 80s in a powerful way.”

    Vuchichevich believes SHS is different from other schools because it’s a healthy, safe place where students and faculty trust each other and keep it positive.

Nurse Claflin

    Have a cough or a headache? SHS’s new school nurse is eager to help! Mrs. Claflin graduated from Simmons College with a degree in Early Childhood Education and Nursing. She’s been a school nurse for six years now but started out wanting to teach. She was previously a school nurse at East Bridgewater High School and then Bourne Middle School. Claflin thinks SHS is different from other schools because she said there’s “a lot of team spirit,” adding, “Everyone is involved in something.”

    Claflin grew up in Newton, Massachusetts. Her favorite ice cream place in Scituate is Wilburs. When asked what her spirit animal is, Claflin laughed and said, “I don’t know, a dog!” Claflin loves to dance and said her favorite song to dance to is “anything fast.” Outside of school, she has seven children, and she loves going to the beach with them. She also coaches soccer, teaches CCD, and participates in road races.

Ms. Emerson

    The newest addition to the History Department at SHS brings a lot of positivity and encouragement. Ms. Emerson grew up in Westwood, Massachusetts and rerouted herself to Pennsylvania in order to attend Gettysburg College to study history. She’s a self-proclaimed “history buff.” Emerson has wanted to teach since she was 15. She said, “It’s always been in the back of my mind. This is my first teaching job.”

    In high school Emerson was very involved. In addition to taking voice lessons, she participated in musical theater, choir, French Club, and swim team. On her swimming experience, Emerson said, “I swam in high school, but I was terrible at it.” In college, Emerson was part of an a cappella group, but she said,“It’s nothing like Pitch Perfect.” She won the superlative for “most argumentative” in high school.

    Emerson thinks SHS is different from other schools because of “how awesome the kids are — everyone is so respectful and so kind.” She said, “When I was in high school we sat there and listened. There’s a lot more discussion now.”

Mrs Naylor

    One of SHS’s very own graduates from 25 years ago is back again — this time to teach. Mrs. Naylor, now occupying Mr. Beattie’s old room, grew up in Scituate and attended Wampatuck Elementary School. She graduated from Merrimack College, then received her master’s degree from Fitchburg State University.

    Naylor teaches four freshman English classes and a senior selective course, 21st Century Text. She was inspired to start teaching in high school by one of her teachers who is no longer here. Naylor said, “I knew the way she talked about the books we read that year that I wanted nothing more than to talk about great literature with kids.” English was always her favorite subject. What inspires Naylor to keep teaching is when the kids are making an effort and setting themselves apart from others. She thinks SHS is a “supportive student body” with many different types of people who are all involved. Naylor believes there is a great sense of maturity in the students at SHS because there are so many choices to make their own path.

    If Naylor could travel anywhere in the world, she would go to Ireland because she said, “The people are so awesome.” Naylor’s favorite ice cream spot in Scituate is Dribbles because she said, “It’s the only place you can get Richardson’s.” She also said she prefers a cup over a cone. When Naylor was younger, she wanted to be an author like one of her favorites, Beverly Clearly.

Ms. Jiang

    With the addition of Mandarin to the SHS curriculum, Ms. Jiang joins the staff. Jiang teaches two honors Mandarin courses and two CP courses. Growing up in China, Jiang attended a university there for her undergraduate degree. While teaching English in China, Jiang realized teaching was her true calling, so she went to Boston College for her master’s degree in Education. Besides English and Mandarin, Jiang knows a “little little bit of French.”

    Jiang’s favorite places in the U.S. are Miami, Florida and Yellowstone National Park. If she could take any four objects to a deserted island, Jiang said she would choose water, fire, a tent, and a sleeping bag. Her favorite ice cream flavor is cappucino. Jiang believes her spirit animal is a lamb because she was born in the year of a lamb and they’re “smart, nice, and easygoing.”

    Jiang said her her biggest enjoyment of teaching is “seeing students make progress.” Jiang says the students at SHS “are nice and all good students. They follow directions and are curious about the language and culture.”

Ms. O’Driscoll

    Changes in the science curriculum bring about new teachers including Ms. O’Driscoll. After graduating from Marshfield High School, O’Driscoll went to UMass Dartmouth for her undergraduate degree in biology. She continued there for her teaching degree. O’Driscoll first started out as a teaching assistant for a freshman chemistry class in college. That was when she first realized she wanted to become a teacher. She always had it in the back of her mind and considered the TA position “really rewarding.”

    Before coming to SHS, O’Driscoll taught 9th grade biology at Plymouth North High School. Science was always her favorite subject in school. Senior year she took Marine Biology and AP Biology. She remembers it to be “the best.”

    O’Driscoll said she enjoys teaching because “it’s different everyday” and especially at SHS because “it’s a really great place to be,” adding, “everyone is way too nice.”

    O’Driscoll’s favorite song to dance to is What Do You Mean by Justin Bieber. When asked about the controversial artist, she responded, “He’s cleaning his act up.” O’Driscoll’s favorite ice cream place in Scituate is Dribbles, and she would get “anything cookie dough.” O’Driscoll’s spirit animal is a bison because they’re “fuzzy and they’re kinda chilled out, but they’re important.” When asked about SHS slang, O’Driscoll replied, “I know what the stoop is — that’s a thing, right?” So stop by the stoop, and maybe you’ll have the chance to meet one of SHS’s newest faculty members!

Mr. Zhang

    SHS’s newest biology teacher wasn’t always sure he wanted to be a teacher. Mr. Zhang studied biochemistry and molecular biology at UMass Amherst. He first started out as pre-med before working at a plant genetics lab then in pharmaceutical litigation. Now, Zhang teaches Freshman Biology and AP Biology at SHS. Deciding he wanted to go into teaching, Zhang said, “I wanted to do something I really enjoyed on a daily basis and focus on knowledge rather than economics.”

    Now that he teaches, Zhang loves helping students connect science to everyday life. He believes SHS is different from other schools because “the students are sweet and respectful and most are excited to learn.”

    Zhang enjoys traveling and lists his favorite vacation spots as the Florida Keys and many parts of Asia. He’s looking forward to  traveling to Europe one day as well. Zhang takes an interesting twist on his spirit animal by saying it is either Gina from Brooklyn 99 or a tiger, which just so happens to be his zodiac sign. If Mr. Zhang danced, his top pick would be something by David Guetta or perhaps a mic from Anna Lunoe. His “perfect pizza” would include meats, hots, and vegetables at Espresso’s Pizza in Lowell. Being very practical, Zhang would take “a multifunctional self sharpening knife, water filtration unit, and a book on how to survive on a deserted island” if he was ever stuck on a deserted island. Zhang wants students to remember him “like a good episode of Big Bang Theory.”

Mrs. Varisco

    The newest member of the Special Education Department traveled across the ocean to be at SHS. Born and raised in England, Mrs. Varisco went to Boston University as an undergraduate studying psychology then switched to rival school Boston College for her master’s in Education.

    Varisco wasn’t always sure she wanted to teach. At first she thought she was destined to be a psychologist. Living in a family of teachers, she wanted was to be different but she said she “couldn’t escape it!” SHS is her first high school teaching experience; however, she says she is “greatly impressed by the level of dedication, kindness, and enthusiasm” that both students and staff bring every day. Currently Varisco co-teaches English 1 with Mrs. Naylor as well as Academic Strategies. She loves hearing students say, “Oh yeah. I totally get it now!” because it reminds her why she decided to teach.

    Varisco enjoys going back to England to see her family and looking back at old memories. Varisco’s husband describes her as a panda. Her “perfect pizza” order would be Mama Mia’s mushroom, olives, broccoli, and onions, but she says it can be hard to pick up. Her favorite song to dance to Juke Box by Demi Cat. If Varisco was stuck on a deserted island, the top three things she’d take would be salt and vinegar chips, a flat iron, and a deck of cards because she “could play solitaire for hours.”

Mr. Thomas

    Another South Shore native, Mr. Thomas, is SHS’s new Department Chair of Fine Arts and Music. Thomas studied music education and music performance at UMass Amherst and then earned his master’s degree in education at Fitchburg State. Thomas currently teaches at the elementary level, helping out with band lessons.

    Thomas first decided to go into teaching because throughout his education he had multiple teachers who left a lasting impression on him. Although it’s a cliche, Thomas wanted to “make a difference” and do for someone else what a teacher once did for him. He’s inspired to keep going knowing that years after he’s taught someone how to play an instrument, he sees them growing and he knows he “had a little piece of that.”

    Initially, music was not Thomas’s favorite subject stating, “I wasn’t really into it, honestly.” One of his teachers got him excited about what he could do when he applied himself at an early age. Thomas’s transition to Scituate was abrupt, but he loves it, saying, “It’s a great community. It’s nice to feel part of something even when you’re new.”

    With saxophone being his main instrument, Thomas loves jazz music. Thomas said, “My kids say I shouldn’t dance to anything,” but sticking to the classics he picked It Had To Be You by Tony Bennett (his wedding song) as his favorite dance song. Outside of music, Thomas participates in martial arts. “It’s pretty awesome stuff,” he said. Thomas is a really big ice cream fan, so if you work at a local ice cream shop, don’t give him small scoops. He said, “I hate that — it’s my pet peeve.” Thomas said his spirit animal is a cat because of how thoughtful they are, but he doesn’t know if he has all the requirements. Instead, he said, “I aspire to be a cat.”

Mrs. Frongello

    Anyone forced to use Google Classroom has definitely gone to see SHS’s new Technology Integration Specialist, Mrs. Frongello. Frongello originally went to Suffolk University to study business and accounting. She wanted to be lawyer, but says “that ended very quickly.” Instead, she became an accountant, which is how she met her husband. After getting married at Disney and starting a family, Frongello decided she needed to find a job less time consuming than accounting, so she went into teaching. Before coming to SHS, she taught Technology at a private school in Kingston.

    Frongello is not a traditional classroom teacher at SHS: Her main role is to support the teachers and students with technology at the high school and at Gates. She loves that her job is always a challenge; it keeps her going and helps her learn about the new tools and technology we can use to improve our education. Frongello has the opportunity to test out new tools for the school and says “it’s actually a lot of fun.”

    When asked about her favorite place to travel, Frongello immediately said Disney. “We’re a big Disney family. We got married there. We go quite often, at least once a year if not twice,” she said. If she won one million dollars, she would want to put some of it away for her kids for college, but says she would use the rest to buy a tropical vacation home so she can jet off during the harsh winters.

    Frongello feels her spirit animal would be either a lion or tiger because they have a strong side, and they’re the aggressive, go-getter type. Frongello’s advice to SHS students is to “make the best of it — high school goes by really fast.”