The math department is challenging the odds this year because four out of the five new teachers at Brecksville Broadview Heights High School are all math teachers. Evan Lentz, Donna Morlani, and Samuel Smith, are this month’s featured new teachers. Zachary Kunz, featured last month, is the fourth new addition to the math department and Stephanie Buda from science. Many teachers retired last school year, giving these teachers a new opportunity to interact with students at BBHHS.
These 3 teachers all have interesting backgrounds. Lentz teaches Algebra 1 and Pre-calculus at BBHHS. Before this, he spent about 7 years in accounting, working for a small railroad contractor in Cleveland. Lentz says, “I was not enjoying my day to day work life as an accountant. I knew that I could do something more meaningful and something that I would enjoy every day.” He then began teaching at Bedford High School for 2 years.
Morlani has been teaching for over 30 years. She teaches Honors Pre-calculus and Block Geometry at BBHHS. She started her teaching career at Orange High School and Kenston High School, and recently taught at Notre Dame High School prior to teaching at BBHHS.
Smith is a first year teacher coming straight from student teaching at East and Akron public schools from January to May of 2024. He teaches Algebra II/Trig, Algebra II Lab, and Probability and Stats at BBHHS. Smith decided to become a teacher because in college, he originally started in electrical engineering and he got to work with high school students during an internship. During this time, he eventually fell in love with the atmosphere and the things high school students deal with on a day-to-day basis.
Smith says, “If someone didn’t care for me in high school in the way that people did, I would probably be a different person, so I kind of want to do the same thing with high school students.”
All of these teachers have similar reasons for coming here. Lentz says,“The students, teachers, and administration hold each other to a high standard. Being a new teacher is a lot of work. It is like being pulled in a million different directions all at once. You are making tons of decisions every day. The days fly by!” He continues by saying that his colleagues have made the transition very smooth and that everybody in the building has always been super willing to help him with any questions or concerns.
Similarly, Morlani says, “BBH has a great reputation as an educational institution: great students, great staff, great community.” Morlani also says that being a new teacher can be a little overwhelming, but lots of fun.
Smith has had many different teaching jobs, but said he had a very good connection with Mr. Jakub and that his grandfather taught here 30 years ago, making this experience more special to him. Being a new teacher has presented him with some challenges. For example, he is young, so it makes it a little more difficult for him to have authority over students at times. However, he enjoys the strong community feel that BBHHS has among the students and staff.
These teachers haven’t been here long, but they have many great things to say about BBHHS. BBHHS appreciates them and everything they offer, and looks forward to what they have in store for their students.
