There have been several new faces popping up around Orono High School this year and not just new students. This year, the school has hired three new teachers. Orono’s current teachers are notorious for being personable, approachable and helpful to all students, and these three new teachers seem to fit right in.
One of the new faces is psychology and world history teacher Andy Gagnon. He grew up only 30 minutes away from Orono in Waverly, Minnesota. After graduating from Howard Lake/Waverly/Winsted High School in 2001, he went on to receive his undergraduate degree in Social Studies from Hamline University. After graduating college, he worked at his hometown high school for six years before making the switch to Orono.
As for his change to Orono, Gagnon said, “All of my colleagues are genuinely good people.” Not only has he given rave reviews to the teachers but also to the students at OHS, expressing that, “The students are first-rate: they’re intelligent, they’re engaged, they’re polite.”
Gagnon hopes to immerse himself in the Orono culture, get to know the students better and possibly coach baseball or football in the future. He also hopes to spend a lot of quality time with his wife and their one-and-a-half year old son, Jace.
The science department has seen a new face as well. Renate Fiora may have been seen walking around before, as she was a long-term substitute teacher and has now been added on to the Orono staff. Being the “new kid” is not a foreign concept to Fiora, as she grew up in Wisconsin but moved around quite a lot, leading her to attend two different high schools.
After receiving her Bachelors degree in physics from Lawrence University and her Masters in education from St. Thomas, she has traveled all over the country and the world to teach. In her 11-year span of teaching, Fiora has worked in New Mexico, Minnesota (including Shakopee, Brooklyn Center, and Minnetonka) and even several schools in England.
Fiora said that in high school, “I was a geek, and I still am a geek.” She she loves to read fantasy and science fiction novels in her free time, as well as practice archery. Fiora is excited about teaching and sharing her extensive knowledge with her students.
Orono has made quite the impression on Fiora. She said that Orono has “a great family atmosphere.” She is really excited to wait and see what opportunities and experiences come out of working at Orono in the coming year.
Kaila Sawochka is the third addition to the OHS staff. Having grown up in Minnetonka and having attended Minnetonka High School, she is no stranger to the Orono area. She majored in secondary education and math at St. Thomas.
Before coming to Orono, she previously worked in the Chanhassen School District for two years. Teaching has run in her family for years, so declaring her major came easy. When Sawochka is not teaching, she loves to run, bake and mostly spend time with her family and friends.
In high school, Sawochka was active in all types of events, and she hopes to continue that pattern while she is here at Orono and “dip my toes in where I can.”
It is clear that all of these teachers are settling in nicely at OHS and are excited to start this journey in their teaching careers. Students should try to stop by and introduce themselves to any of these amazing new teachers.
Mackenzie Shofner is a Staff Reporter for The Spartan Speaks.
