Mr. Zangara teaches World History. He transitioned from Mendham Borough Middle School to Bernards. He explains how and why he loves teaching, and how he discovered his passion for teaching when he was in high school. He didn’t always want to pursue teaching as a career. For a while (8th – 11th grade) he thought he wouldn’t even go to college, and instead work construction with his father. Coaching helped him discover his passion for helping others learn and grow. During his junior year, he was allowed to be an assistant coach, during this time he discovered his passion for helping others learn and improve.

Besides having a new world history teacher, Bernards has also welcomed a new biology teacher, Ms. Palmere. She moved from Princeton High school, and is the new cheer coach. She also described the way the shift between schools affected her positively, and how welcoming her new school was. “The biggest difference is the sense of community and sense of pride that all of the students take in the school and just that the whole community here is so kind.” 

Another addition to the Bernards staff is the new Algebra I teacher, Mr. Wierzbicki. He moved from Westfield and moved over the summer. His inspiration for teaching also came from a similar place as the other two teachers. His grandparents were both teachers, and when he was younger he would usually help his sister with her math homework, and during his junior year of high school, he realized he liked teaching and wanted to pursue it as a career. He mainly understood his passion for teaching while helping his sister. “I think I figured it out when I would help my little sister with her homework, but also I realized how much I enjoyed it. If I explained something to her, and I could see in her face that she finally understood it I really enjoyed getting that feeling, doing that is when I realized that teaching was for me.”  He currently teaches Algebra l, but has also taught Algebra ll and sixth, and seventh grade math, but his favorite is Algebra l.