As the 2023-2024 academic year began on August 30, a number of new faces were on board as part of the Foran teaching staff. Assistant Principal Dena Kelly provided some advice for the new teachers as part of her warm welcome.
She states, “My advice to them would be to reach out to their colleagues and administration anytime because we are here to help. We are so lucky to work in an environment that is organically collaborative.”
Kelly also adds, “We are a school family here, and I’ve found that everyone is supportive of each other and people generally want to see others succeed for the betterment of our students and learning community.”
Mr. Christopher Dubuque teaches many different classes such as computer science, Advanced Placement (AP) computer science, robotics, and 3D modeling. All of his classes are available for students in any grade.
He has been teaching for 22 years; his first teaching job was in 2001. He originally started as an art teacher and did that for 17 years. In 2019 he moved to Harborside Middle School and taught tech-ed/woodshop. He says he loves seeing the upperclassmen that he taught back in 2019 and looks forward to developing new relationships with new students.
Ms. Kim Vigil has recently begun teaching Spanish to grades 9-12. She has been teaching for 20 years and this is her 21 year. She taught Spanish in middle school for nine years. Vigil states that she is looking forward to teaching her students to become more comfortable with Spanish and to also enjoy the language.
Mr. Brendan Burgess teaches business management, marketing and business law. He has been teaching for 15 years and has always taught business. He is excited to meet new faces, and he wants his students to “understand the importance of saving money and saving early.”
Mr. James Chiappetta teaches social skills, work study, learning center and math/financial literacy for all grades. This is his first year teaching; he actually graduated college in May. Chiappetta is hoping to get to know more of the staff and his students. For this school year he is “wanting to prepare his students for the real world.”
Ms. Edmide Duncan teaches French for all grades. While Duncan has been teaching for seven years, this is only her second year teaching French. She has taught all the way from preschool to high school. Duncan earned her bachelor’s degree in early childhood education and then her master’s degree in French for seventh grade to seniors. She is hoping to get her students’ levels up in French and “help the students to speak, write, and communicate in French comfortably.”
Ms. Callie Jackson teaches Living Earth with freshmen and marine science with students in grades 10 and 12. This is her fourth year teaching. She has always taught science, specifically biology. However, this is her first time teaching marine science. She says she is excited to “get to know [her] students and get them excited to learn Living Earth and marine science.”
Ms. Chelsie Lazaro is teaching algebra one and two as well as to freshmen, sophomores and juniors. This is Lazaro’s first teaching job. During college she was debating between teaching math or history, but always enjoyed math more. She is looking forward to “meeting all the teachers and getting to know more about her students and Foran.”
Mrs. Rosalba Addario is teaching introduction to allied health, certified nursing assistant programs, and medical terminology for all students. She has been teaching for eight years; her previous seven years were in New Haven. Addario is looking forward to meeting her students and teaching them all about allied health. Her goal for this school year is “to create additional courses and opportunities for Milford students in the allied health sector.”
Miss Beth Cafferty, who has been teaching for six years, teaches family and consumer science, specifically culinary, human growth and development and interior design to grades 9-12. Cafferty is looking forward to meeting new people such as students and staff in order to create lasting relationships.
She states, “I am also looking forward to watching students grow and learn — from the start of the semester to the end of the semester.”
