Mrs. Zurek
Special-ed teacher Mrs. Zurek is retiring from East at the end of this year.
When asked about what she enjoyed about her time at East High, Mrs. Zurek said, “I enjoyed working with all the students and staff. I also love the openness of East because it’s much more relaxed than a traditional school.” While she’ll miss the trademark “home-y” feeling and openness of our school, Mrs. Zurek also expresses how the relationships she’s built here at East will be another thing she’s sad to leave. “My best experience was seeing the success of the students I was able to help. I will truly miss the great staff, all the students, and the relationships that I formed with many of them.”
However, Mrs. Zurek’s retirement isn’t going to hold her back from living life to the fullest. “In the future, I plan to be active in a variety of organizations. I also plan to spend time in Florida with my granddaughters, and I’d like to come back and sub so I can keep the ties with East.”
Although not quite through with her special-ed duties, Mrs. Zurek has not done the same thing the last seventeen years. Originally, Mrs. Zurek worked in the business world, so teaching was a completely different position for her. It was clearly one that she desired to make the most of, however, and will continue to even after her retirement.
Though she may be retiring, the fact that Mrs. Zurek plans to come back and substitute for teachers truly shows her dedication and love for everything she’s come to know about East. While retiring may seem like an official goodbye to our school for many, for Mrs. Zurek, it’s only the beginning of a promising, euphoric future.
Mrs. Pantano
Although Mrs. Pantano came in with the freshman this year, she will be leaving with the graduating class after twenty-five years of counseling.
Mrs. Pantano originally worked as a speech pathologist who helped stroke patients recover their voices, which often meant that she spent up to years with these patients and their families. This allowed her to develop a special bond with these people who often came to her with their problems. Since Mrs. Pantano was “not sure how best to help them,” she decided to go back to school in order to learn just how to do so.
After she earned her new degree, Mrs. Pantano started her counseling career with Catholic Charities in Lackawanna, and five years later made the switch to school counseling in the Clarence School District, where she stayed for the next nineteen and a half years, up until the position was cut by the Clarence School Board last year.
Since then, Mrs. Pantano noted that the biggest difference between her experiences at Clarence and at East have been tied to the open concept of the building here and her ability to be around more, as she is not splitting time between an elementary and a high school, thus making her more accessible to students.
Mrs. Pantano may not have been here long, but she says that her best experience at East was “all the camaraderie and support from co-workers and the students weren’t afraid to ask me for support.”
A self-proclaimed, “jack of all trades, but master of none,” Mrs. Pantano is looking forward to a busy retirement schedule that will include playing the piano, “brushing up on [her] Italian”, using what she’s learned in her voice-over class, and taking her experience with classical singing and possibly switching to a more diva style. Who knows, she may even become a stand-up comedian—she’s already written a few lines!
Mrs. Pantano may not have been here long, but her work has done so much for the community. She says that she will miss seeing the “different and better choices that the students make with what they’re dealing with” when she is their guide.
Mrs. Incorvia
After thirteen and a half unforgettable years at Williamsville East High School, students and staff will have to say goodbye to Mrs. Incorvia next Thursday as she begins a new, exciting, and emotional chapter in her life. Her hard work, dedication, and time spent helping staff and students have impacted the lives of many and will be remembered long after her departure.
Prior to working as Mr. Scanzuso’s secretary at East, Mrs. Incorvia had many other interesting jobs. One of these included working in industry, which she described as a major change from working in schools. Before to coming to East, she worked in a small Christian elementary school where she dabbled in a little bit of everything, from fixing peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for kids to taking on the nurse’s duties! While at East, Mrs. Incorvia has served under various staff members such as Mr. Taylor, Mr. McSwan, and Mrs. Anzalone. Each having their own ways of doing things has challenged her and made her better at what she does.
“They all have their different ways of doing things. It’s challenging; it kept me on my toes.”
After working at East for over a decade, we asked her about things she has learned from working and interacting with teenagers. One change she observed over the years was attitude of the students.
“Times have changed with teenagers. I think they’re brighter, more inquisitive, and more challenged.”
During the time spent at our school, Mrs. Incorvia has had many memorable experiences. She particularly loved attending after school activities such as prom, JDD, Sadie Hawkins, musicals, and concerts, such as Legends of Jazz. When describing her experiences chaperoning for dances, she explained, “It was fun to watch the kids having fun and looking dressed up and nice.”
Other memorable experiences include the senior slide show, breakfasts with the main office and guidance, and watching kids grow up throughout the years. These meaningful moments are the things she will remember forever, she says.
Events and routines like the post-prom broomball game, yelling across the hall to harass Mrs. Dahlman, arguing with Mrs. Hepp, and Mr. Scanzuso’s sense of humor are activities that she will miss greatly and have brightened her time spent at East.
However, she will be able to manage without Mr. Harsch’s birthdays and Mr. Kubiak’s emails! Her future plans include playing a lot of golf, traveling with her daughter, enjoying time with her grandchildren, and having fun relaxing!
“My tenure at East has been rich in unforgettable friendships, relationships, and experiences that I will take with me as I go. It has truly been a privilege to invest in the future of our kids.”
Throughout the years, Mrs. Incorvia has made unforgettable friendships, meaningful memories, and has had a long lasting impact on students and staff. Her hard work and time spent helping others has provided rich opportunities in learning and success for.
All the work she has done is greatly appreciated at East, including Mr. Scanzuso. “I’m going to miss her. We had a great five years together. I wouldn’t be able to do my job or stay as organized without her. It’ll be big shoes to fill; she just does so much.” Mrs. Incorvia’s time at Williamsville East has not only created unforgettable memories, experiences, and friendships, but also impacted the lives of many.
All the work Mrs. Incorvia has done has made a great impact; friends, co-workers, students, and everyone she helped along the way cannot express their appreciation.
We wish her the best in the thrilling, relaxing, and fun-filled journey of retirement.
Mr. Coon
Mr. Coon, a guidance counselor at East, was originally a math teacher for seven years in Binghamton, but saw a need for helping students who seemed distracted and switched to counseling, serving at a middle school for five years, then at East for 24 years. He states that his profession was loving students and helping them, what he perceived to be a greater need than math. He clearly loved his time at East, saying that the best part was the students he was “blessed to be around,” noting how diverse and energetic they were. Mr. Coon was also impressed during his time at East at the percentage of students who graduated and the level of volunteerism, stating that he felt that students showed “concern for their community and welfare for others,” something that is near and dear to his heart.
The beloved guidance counselor felt that his best experience at East was the Hike for Hospice run years ago which fundraised about $7,500 a year and ended up donating close to $50,000. He also states that he loved the changes he’s seen at East in the past two decades, citing the fact that AP Psychology, Environmental Science, Language and Composition, and Forensics were not classes at East when he began working here, and that adding them to the curriculum was incredible. Mr. Coon also feels great joy watching his students graduate, and one of the coolest moments was when his student, Bryan He, went to meet Obama in Washington after winning an award for the Intel Science Talent Search.
Besides his work in the guidance office, Mr. Coon also coached three seasons of sports, drawing from his experience as a distance runner in track and cross country in high school and college.
He’s been an active member in his church and has personally made visits to senior homes, and he states that in his retirement years, he hopes to relax and volunteer.
Mr. Schiro
Mr. Schiro has been teaching for 38 years, and began teaching at East the second year the building was opened. He actually taught AP Computer Science in 1983, the first year the exam was offered, and he needed to get 15 students to do so. When Mr. Schiro first came to Williamsville East, he began as a chemistry and general science teacher, and has been teaching chemistry annually as of late. He went on to teach Math 2a and 3a with 40 kids; he also taught biology. Mr. Schiro had has had extensive experience with computers, as he worked as a district computer coordinator, and he was greatly responsible for the large wave of technology into schools. He left this position because it wasn’t as fun as teaching, and he missed teaching kids. He stated that he really enjoys teaching chemistry because he believes that he’s teaching problem solving which is a new concept to many kids who have had little prior knowledge in the area, leading them to learn a completely new thing. He stated that his favorite lab that he conducted in his teaching career was the redox-potato clock, and a demonstration that included a pop can, a cup, and sodium acrylate.
The chemistry teacher said that he thought he would never go to college, but after high school, he began his college career at Niagara County Community College where he got an Associate’s Degree. He went on to attend SUNY Plattsburg where he got his BA, then went to the University of Buffalo where he got his first Masters Degree, and finished at Canisius College where he got another Masters. “I have more degrees than a thermometer!” Mr. Schiro exclaimed. He hadn’t planned on becoming a teacher, but since his wife was a teacher, he found himself in the field as well.
“When you find something you like, it’s not work,” Mr. Schiro believes. He also believes that he will miss the students of his 38 years here, the wall-less building (which he believed was not distracting as his kids remained quite focused), the friendly nature of the student body, the carpeting which he stated “breeds civility because it takes away from the institutionalism [of a school, leading to a] homey atmosphere”), and the ever-present chance to meet other kids because of the open building. He really took delight in the excitement, future potential, and successes of his students. Mr. Schiro plans on staying in Buffalo while his wife continues teaching, and will be doing volunteer work alongside taking care of his father who is 90 years old. He’s also really excited to throw away his alarm clock!
The teacher stated that it was hard to retire, as his students kept him from retiring, and expressed his love of the school, stating that the high ranking of East (which he dubs the “New York Yankees of high school”) really speaks to its success. He will be missed!
The East Side News thanks our teachers and staff members for their dedicated service and wishes them the best of luck in their retirements!
By: Gillian Marcus, Aniruddha Nrusimha, Theresa Meosky, Jenna Marcus, and Harleen Kaur
