Two staff members are preparing to leave the high school and transition into elementary teaching. Art teacher Eric Hoover and counselor Tiffany Johannides are embracing the change.
Making the leap from ceramics, sculpture and AP art, Hoover is relocating to Cambria Heights Elementary School to teach art for kindergarten through fifth grade students.
“This is my tenth year teaching here,” Hoover said. “The projects that we work on at the high school are way more complicated than the ones we’ll be doing at elementary school. I won’t have AP or an individualized sculpture class. I’ll be working on getting students knowledge of the arts that they need from their age to middle school age.”
Hoover will tailor his lessons to younger students in order to prepare them for high school level art classes and to expand their artistic abilities.
Guidance counselor Tiffany Johannides will be returning to the Tyrone district to continue her career there. She previously worked at Tyrone High School for 16 years before working here for four years in the guidance department.
Different strategies are needed to work effectively with the younger students.
“I think it would be good to help prevent issues before they develop,” Johannides said. “In other words, prevention strategies before problems start developing at the high school age. If you give them foundational skills when they’re younger, and coping skills, they ward off problems later and help kids develop effective techniques and tools that they can then carry out throughout their lives.”
Johannides has an idea of what to expect when making the move due to her opportunity shadowing a fellow counselor at the elementary school.
The decision to make a shift in levels of education varies from each staff member and is personal to them.
“It’s exciting just seeing the look on their [younger students’] faces,” Hoover said. “It could be the simplest of projects, but you get some of the best reactions from a small child.”
“I will miss him as a teacher,” Ceramics II student, Ella Albright said. “He always had a great attitude and always loved to be there. I will also miss the ceramics class in general.”
Johannides reflects on what she can carry with her through her counseling experience.
“Two things I try to carry with me into every interaction with students are respect and empathy,” Johannides said. “If you respect the student, the student respects you back, and empathy means to put yourself in their shoes and try to figure out what they’re going through to respond accordingly.”
Coworkers of Johannides and Hoover consider how losing them will impact their daily work day also.
Guidance counselor, Tracy Biesecker, and drama director, Ben Cossitor, have been working with their colleagues for many years previously.
“She’s fantastic at what she does, but she’s also a wonderful and caring person,” Biesecker said. “She’s really great to work with and I’m going to miss her a lot.”
“When he first came here, he helped out a lot around the theater department,” Cossitor said. “I’ve been working with him for a few years, and he’s so talented. He’s been a great guy to work with.”
The loss of two staff members impacts Principal Andrew Neely as well. He is responsible for filling their positions, yet adjusting to the change also.
“Mrs. Johannides and Mr. Hoover have been excellent teachers here at the high school,” Neely said. “I know they’ve impacted a ton of students in their time here. I’m sad to see them leave, but I know they are looking for change, maybe a different adventure. I know in some cases it’s a benefit to them to make the change, so I wish them all the best.”
