Written by Siya Patel
There are three new additions to the high school staff, two of them being Ms. Pietrzyl and Ms. Poon.
Ms. Pietrzyl is filling in for Mrs. King during her maternity leave and will be teaching English to freshmen at the general and academic levels. Additionally, she is also teaching Cultural Heritage to seniors. Before coming to RHHS, she taught at Lebanon Middle School and Classical Magnet School in Hartford.
Pietrzyl has always wanted to be a teacher ever since she was little. She chose to teach English because she “wasn’t always a fan of how her English teachers taught” and decided to go to school to make it more enjoyable. Her favorite part of teaching is interacting with her students and learning about their lives, likes, and dislikes.
In her free time, Pietrzyl enjoys playing with her dog, gardening, and watching Friends.
“Everybody is so nice and welcoming and the students are really great too,” said Pietrzyl.
The next addition to the RHHS faculty is Ms. Poon, who will be teaching general Algebra 1, academic Algebra 2, and Math Problem Solving. Before coming to RHHS, she taught at Hartford Public Schools. She did not always want to be a teacher but actually wanted to become an engineer. At UConn, she started off studying pre-pharmacy and then eventually chose to major in math.
“I enjoyed math, but I also struggled with it, so I understand that not everyone can be good at all types of math,” said Poon about her earlier experiences with math.
Poon’s experiences in tutoring, substitute teaching in college, and working in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program also led her to the road of teaching.
Her favorite part of teaching is interacting with students and getting to know her students as people, not just as students. Outside of school, Poon has a variety of interests such as kayaking, biking, macrame, and cooking. She feels that everyone at RHHS has been friendly while helping her transition to the school and that her department has been very accommodating.
