Classroom Coliseum

Amy Friedrich works and raises her family here in Goshen. As a teacher, community member, and parent in the Goshen schools, her connections run deep. Her passion to work with students needing academic supports is only matched by her wonderful colleagues, whom she enjoys working with.

Alec Stein is teaching in his second year in GHS, but it feels like he has been here longer - he did his student teaching in the Social Studies Department as well. Mr. Stein brings with him a youthful enthusiasm and love for social studies that resonates with our GHS students. He also has great vision for the future of Goshen High School.

Ms. Giordano is a Goshen alumni who has come back to work with us this year! She came back to work in Academic Intervention Specialists, but comes with a tremendous amount of experience and expertise. Welcome Ms. Giordano!

Dr. Matthew Wentworth is the building leader at Goshen Intermediate School where he works to support teachers in order to empower them to reach more students. Dr. Wentworth's vision for using data to inform decisions as well as streamlining systems to help create more time and space to work with students has built a strong school environment. Working with his teams to build school culture thro...

For two seasons, we’ve walked the halls of the Goshen Central School District to find the stories that don't always make the morning announcements. We’ve heard from teachers who’ve spent four decades in the classroom and students who are just beginning to find their voices. As we step into a new year and a new season, our mission hasn't changed. We’re here to celebrate the passion, the grit, and t...

Claire Polanis is retiring from Goshen High School this summer and leaving quite a legacy for us. Her vast experience living abroad brought a lot of cultural awareness and new ideas to Goshen. She reflects on an amazing career with guest hosts Carmina Villegas and Jeri Krish. Enjoy.

Beth Laskoski is one of the most kind human beings to ever grace the halls of GHS. Her time in the classroom and volunteering with Odyssey of the Mind and Interact Club has made her a key player in our students' lives for many years. She is saying goodbye to GHS this month, but the work she has done here will live on.

Heather Hendershot is a long-time Orange County resident who serves as the director of Pupil Personnel Services for Goshen Central School District. She recently received her doctorate and is proud of the work that is being done to support the students in all areas of the Pupil Personnel Department at Goshen. PPS oversees services for physical, learning, and other disabilities and also services for...

<!--td {border: 1px solid #cccccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}-->Mrs. Johnson wanted to be a teacher for as long as she can remember. Her initial teacher of her dolls at home as a kid was a catalyst to consider education as a career. The influence of her GHS world language teachers, and assignments at Siena College solidified that the teaching content she would master was the Spanish...

Gus Lawson is one of those people who’s reputation and visibility are larger than life. Coach Lawson works as a PE Teacher at GHS, rocks the mic for PA announcing, and coaches Football, Basketball, and Track and Field. His uncanny ability to connect with kids and staff through his anecdotes, stories, genuine interest, and disarming smile bring people into his life and inner circle. Coach Lawson is...

Alina Heinz is part of the New Hire class of 2024 in Goshen Schools and has enjoyed the first half of her year teaching at Goshen Intermediate School. She came to Goshen with experience teaching elsewhere and brings a lot of tricks of the trade with her to her students at GIS. Her passion for teaching and learning is contagious and I think you will catch a glimpse of that in this discussion. Give...

Michael Isseks dedicated over 30 years to students in Goshen High School in the Social Studies Department and beyond. As the 2nd Semester of 2024-2025 begins, Mr. Isseks will begin his next phase of life in retirement. Throughout his career, he has always been a humble servant leader even when he had official roles like interim Assistant Principal, Social Studies Department Chair, Goshen Teachers&...

When you look around Goshen High School, you may not realize just how involved Jim Quinlan is in some of the projects and initiatives! Mr. Quinlan is a Goshen High School English teacher who is passionate about how the English curriculum allows students to be creative and think independently. Beyond the classroom, he is a talented musician, drama/musical director, musician, and video producer. Jus...

Jarrad Vrydaghs is not as visible as many Goshen Teachers are in our community, because he’s stationed as a Goshen employee at John S. Burke Catholic School providing special education services to our out of district students there. While you may not see him at GHS often, you will hear his voice doing play by play calls at the Gladiator Coliseum as he’s running the scoreboard for many of our athle...

It is a truly special experience when a teacher enters the profession with a wealth of professional practice in the field. Jen Cascino was a graphic designer and illustrator for major professional publications for many years prior to entering the education realm. She spent two years teaching in Brooklyn prior to relocating to Orange County and teaching in Goshen. Her experience creating fine art a...

Some educators’ professional lives take a direct route, but GHS Assistant Principal Jénelle Hindell’s professional work has taken unique and interesting twists. She did not set out to be an educator out of college, and spent time working in political action and college admissions for some time. Her love for history brought her back to education and she loves that content so much that in this inter...

Daniel Passante came to Goshen with an excellent pedigree in communications from his education at the Park School of Communication at Ithaca College, as well as professional work experience in TV studios and even in sports broadcasting. His passion for effective and clear communication with high engagement is an exciting thing to bring to Goshen School District. Most of the time, a public informat...

Morgan Serkes is a proud Goshen graduate of the class of 2017 who came home to GHS as a Guidance Counselor in 2024! Ms. Serkes lends a lot of youthful energy to the school and to supporting students. She brought experience at all levels of counseling with her when she joined the team. You will find her helping kids working with college planning, friendships, social issues, and much more. Her exper...

Sarah Tierney is a veteran educator who pursues her intrinsic desire to help kids on a daily basis. She came to Goshen from NYC Department of Education with an incredible amount of classroom experience as well as counseling all age levels. Sarah’s desire to work with children to help achieve their best selves as they navigate their adolescent middle school years. There are tremendous challenges in...

On paper, Shannon Bernhardt is a Math Teacher at Goshen High School, but that only skims the surface of what she brings to the school district. Her passion for working with young people and mentoring through athletic competition shines in the school and through this podcast interview. She studied Math in college, but minored in Deaf Studies where she continued her skillset in American Sign Languag...

Mrs. Janine Robinson is a core of the Social Studies department in Goshen Schools. She has spent time teaching both 7th and 8th grade US History at C.J. Hooker Middle School. Teaching Social Studies is more than teaching history - it’s about critical thinking, analysis, and developing good citizens. Mrs. Robinson is always working to reinvent herself and adapt to the student engagement needs of he...

GHS Principal Nick Pantaleone joined Goshen Tech Director Jon Redeker to interview Gus Rodriguez, a cybersecurity expert. Gus spent 24 years in the NYPD and developed an expertise in cybersecurity, which he turnkeyed into a great new business called the “Digital First Responders.” Gus shares his ideas for students and parents about how to keep students safe and all parents and students should list...

John Stephens is a proud Goshen graduate who came back to Goshen Schools to continue his teaching career. His pursuits on the athletic fields in high school and college were filled with many accolades, but the lessons that he learned have been invaluable to his work with students. He has brought lesson in leadership, self awareness, health consciousness, and positivity to the Goshen Health/PE and...

Dr. Greg Voloshin has been a fixture around the Goshen School District since 2013 and his time in Goshen and impact to students is as diverse as can be. He has been Athletic Director, Elementary School Principal, Director of Personnel, and currently holds the role of High School Assistant Principal. His involvement in education has always been about making connections with students, and building r...

Elena Jordon has been teaching English Language Arts for 23 years in Goshen School District, where she also graduated from! Ms. Jordon is a true Goshen Gladiator who has always been involved in a variety of initiatives and programs both academically and athletically. Believe it or not, teaching 7th grade is right where she always wants to be! In this episode of the Classroom Coliseum, we discuss s...