The English department at Stamford High has welcomed two new full-time English teachers this year: Ms. Rochelle Skaar and Mrs. Kimberly Petrafesa.
Ms. Skaar (pronounced like “score”) is originally from Wisconsin, where she was born and raised. Both of her parents were teachers, but it was not until her senior year of college, after having majored in journalism, that she realized that too wanted to be a teacher. She attended the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire, and then UW-Madison for graduate school.
After her youngest son, who is now almost 20, graduated from high school, Ms. Skaar moved to Connecticut. She was inspired by her sister, who passed away from kidney cancer. Ms. Skaar said that “I realized I needed to take some risks and try to live more in the moment.” In August she was hired at Stamford High and is now teaching AP Literature, and 9th and 10th grade English.
Upon her first weeks at Stamford High she noticed that one of the biggest differences was the size of the school—for the past 21 years of her teaching career she had been in a high school of just 630 students. Despite this, she says she feels welcomed. According to her, the English Department faculty has been helpful and most of the students have treated her with respect and patience. She says that her “heart is in the classroom,” and that she needs to follow her heart.
Mrs. Petrafesa, born in Indiana, grew up not too far from Stamford in East Lyme, CT. English was her favorite subject throughout high school and she focused on it during college so that she could later help others learn about it. Like many Stamford High grads, she attended the University of Connecticut, where she earned both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. After graduating, Mrs. Petrafesa tried to earn a full-time teaching position. Last year she was hired at Stamford High as a long-term English substitute and taught 11th grade summer school this year. She was pleased to have been hired just a few weeks ago as a full-time teacher for 10th and 11th grade English. Mrs. Petrafesa is “excited to have the possibility to teach a number of topics in future years here at SHS.”
To her advantage, she was already accustomed to the schedule, rules, and layout of the school, which allowed her a smoother transition into full-time teaching. When asked about her experience so far at Stamford High this year, Mrs. Petrafesa responded, “I can’t say enough about how welcoming everyone has been, and I am so thankful to be in a place where I am comfortable saying that I can see myself here for many years.”
Mr. Katz • Sep 20, 2013 at 2:17 pm
very nice article! well written!
Brian Harrell Jr. • Sep 17, 2013 at 5:33 pm
I’m glad to see two new, and very promising teachers hired at the school. It actually kind of makes me wish I was back there, just so I could get to know them better. I’m also glad to see that some initiative is being taken to better the school, rather than to hurt it for once.
Ringel • Sep 19, 2013 at 7:20 pm
Thanks for reading Brian! We wish you were still here too.