Mrs. Palmerezzi, Director of Athletics & Supervisor of P/E & Health | | |
|
Mrs. Palmerezzi is excited to join the Verona Public School District in her new role as our Athletic Director. Mrs. Palmerezzi is no stranger to our Verona family as she has served our students and community over the past 13 years as Head Boys Cross Country Coach, Winter, and Spring Track & Field Coach. Mrs. Palmerezzi has dedicated herself over the past eighteen years as an educator, coach, and pool manager during the summer months. For the last fifteen years, she has been an educator at School #4 in Belleville teaching both 3rd & 5th grade throughout her tenure. In 2018-2019, Mrs. Palmerezzi was honored as a recipient of the Governor’s Educator of the Year award. | |
Mr. Herschman, AP Psychology Teacher & HIB Specialist | | |
|
Mr. Herschman is thrilled to be joining the Verona High School community as the AP Psychology teacher and HIB specialist this fall. Previously, Mr. Herschman was teaching psychology at Lodi High School, and before entering the world of education, he worked in the mental health field as a therapist in group therapy programs. He continues to work as a licensed professional mental health counselor in private practice after school hours. Mr. Herschman has a passion for the field of psychology and is often found reading books and articles related to the field to stay up to date with the latest trends. In his free time, he loves to take walks around his town with his wife and dog, ride his bike up and down the beaches of New Jersey, and relax on his porch with a good book. | |
Mr. Wenzel, Social Studies & Academic Support Teacher | | |
|
Mr. Brian Wenzel will teach Social Studies at Verona High School. Mr. Wenzel has previously taught Social Studies at James Caldwell High School, Pequannock Township High School, and Butler High School. Prior to entering the field of education, Mr. Wenzel was a WWE wrestler, worked for the New York Jets, and Tesla. Mr. Wenzel attended Penn State University where he earned a degree in Business. He continued his education at New Jersey City University and American Public University in their Special Education and American History graduate programs. In addition to teaching, Mr. Wenzel has been a part of the VHS football staff since 2019 and has coached wrestling, lacrosse, and baseball. He resides in Bergen County with his wife, Jessica, and his 6 dogs. He enjoys athletics, reading, watching movies, and spending time with his family. | |
Mrs. Garcia, School Counselor | | |
|
Mrs. Garcia has been a high school counselor for 9 years and is joining us from Lodi High School. Prior to working in education, she worked 5 years as a hospice grief counselor. She and her husband have been married for 6 years and met at while students at TCNJ. Fun fact about Mrs. Garcia: their names are Ross & Rachel! The Garcia's live in Bloomfield with her two dogs. She enjoys traveling, reading, tennis, basketball, all things Harry Potter and The Office! Mrs. Garcia is very excited to join the Verona High School community! | |
Mr. Goldsman, School Counselor | | |
|
Mr. Goldsman has been a school counselor since 2013 and has dedicated his efforts toward helping adolescents with academic achievement, social-emotional improvement, and career development, ensuring today's youth become the well-adjusted leaders of tomorrow. Since beginning his journey as a School Counselor, he has sought to create a safe and productive space for students to share their thoughts and perspectives, all in the pursuit of developing their self-awareness, social consciousness, and community mindfulness. Mr. Goldsman has earned a B.A. in Psychology at Queens College and a Masters Degree in School Counseling at New York Institute of Technology. While Mr. Goldsman's roots are in New York, he resides with my wife, daughter, and dog in New Jersey. Mr. Goldsman enjoys playing guitar, sound engineering, traveling worldwide, cooking, and spending quality time with his family and friends. | |
Mr. Orr, Mathematics Teacher | | |
|
Mr. Orr is excited to join the Verona High School family. Mr. Orr earned his Bachelor's degree in Mathematics from Montclair State and a Master's degree in Educational Technology from Ramapo College. He has sdedicated the past 6 years teaching math at Clifton High School ranging from Math Skills up to AP level courses. While there Mr. Orr was involved in several extracurriculars serving as the Sophomore class advisor, as well as the FBLA and DECA advisors. Mr. Orr has coached numerous seasons of high school baseball and basketball. While not teaching Mr. Orr enjoys golf, fantasy football, and coaching Little League baseball.
| |
Ms. Reisinger, Biology & AP Environmental Science Teacher | | |
|
Growing up in northern NJ has fueled Ms. Reisinger to love nature led to her career as a biology teacher and zoo camp counselor. Ms. Reisinger loves teaching about our world and how to help we can help save it. Ms. Reisinger is a new mom to a beautiful baby girl. She loves taking walks with her and showing her all the wonderful things nature has to offer. In Ms. Reisinger's spare time, you can find her watching nature documentaries, scuba diving, or enjoying the Jersey shore. Ms. Reisinger loves being able to bring all of these experiences to her classroom. She is very excited to be part of the VHS community and looks forward to getting to know our students!
| |
Ms. Charles, Acting Director of School Counseling | | |
|
Ms. Meridith Charles will assume the position of Leave Replacement Director of School Counseling from September - December 2021 while Mrs. Gadaleta is on maternity leave. Ms. Charles, a 36-year educator, served as the Director of School Counseling for the Kinnelon Public School District for 15 years before retiring in August 2020. Prior to her administrative role, Ms. Charles held positions as a teacher of English and school counselor at various schools within NJ. Ms. Charles looks forward to working with the students, families, and staff of the Verona community! | |
Ms. Groff, English Teacher | | |
|
Mrs. Groff has almost a decade of experience teaching English at the high school level. After graduating with her Masters of Art in Teaching from Fairleigh Dickinson University, she taught at Central High School in Newark, and then returned to her alma mater, New Milford High School, where she spent her early years as a new mother teaching alongside her husband, Hershey who is a history teacher. Mrs. Groff has spent the last three years helping her twin daughters, Jane and Emma, acclimate to public school, and is excited to get back into the classroom with students of her own at Verona High School. She spends her time outside of the classroom hanging out with her daughters, cheering on the sidelines of her husband's varsity boys' basketball team, writing about her experiences as a mother on her blog, reading great books, and digging in her garden. | |
Ms. Basik, English Teacher | | |
|
Ms. Basak is excited to join Verona High School! Currently, Ms. Basak teaches English III and English IV. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Secondary Education, as well as a Master of Arts in English, at The College of New Jersey. Ms. Basak was the recipient of an honorary distinction upon the presentation of her M.A. degree. Ms. Basak loves The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde and Jane Austen. She is eager to share her passion for literature in an engaging, diverse, and inclusive way and hopes to tackle challenges head-on with her students in order to make the most of the school year. | |
Mr. Adase, Chemistry Teacher | | |
|
Mr. Adase was born, raised and educated in New York. He is a graduate of the Biology program at SUNY Oneonta and the Secondary Education program at SUNY New Paltz. For several years, as a teacher in Texas, Mr. Adase taught varying levels of high school Biology, Chemistry and Physics, as well as instructing non-majors college Biology. This will be his 1st year teaching Chemistry at Verona High School. In his spare time, Mr. Adase can typically be found tutoring students, attending school athletic events (where you can usually find him with a camera in hand), and out to dinner with co-workers and friends. Mr. Adase is a fan of the Boston Red Sox, New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Steelers.
| |
Ms. Nevill, Choir Teacher | | |
|
Mrs. Nevill is very excited to be joining the staff of Verona Schools! Currently, she is an administrator and music teacher at Architekt Music Academy in Butler, NJ where she teaches piano, voice, and ukulele. Mrs. Nevill has had an active career as a performer collaborating with UCPAC in Rahway, NJ and other theaters including Bergen County Players, Ridgewood Gilbert, Sullivan, Opera Theatre of Montclair, Eccentric Theater Company, and other organizations in the state of NJ and NY. Ms. Nevill has performed in many shows over the years and is eager to share what she has learned with our students. Currently, Mrs. Nevill resides in New Milford NJ, with her husband Philip, her son Callum, and her two cats Bagheera and Sherekhan. | |
Mr. Wroblewski, Music Teacher | | |
|
Mr. Wroblewski is thrilled to be joining Verona High School in his first year as the Assistant Band Director where he assists in leading the Marching Band, Concert Band, Chamber Ensembles, and Music Theory Program. Mr. Wroblewski has previously taught in several school districts across the state of New Jersey including Roxbury, Westfield, and Hightstown. Prior to his time at Verona, Mr. Wroblewski received both his Master of Music in Wind Conducting and Bachelor of Music in Instrumental Music Education. While at Rutgers, he studied saxophone with Dr. Paul Cohen and continues to pursue his passion for the saxophone by teaching private lessons to elementary, middle, and high school students. | | |
|
Mr. Neal has lived in Verona for the past 20 years. Mr. Neal served in the Verona Fire Department for 15 years. He was also a service technician in the photography and medical industry. In his spare time, he runs a personal side business in estate sales services and enjoys metal detecting. This summer, Mr. Neal and the entire custodial and maintenance team has been working tirelessly to get the building ready for our students and the building looks great! He also enjoys spending time with his wife, Tina. | | | | |
