Mrs. Holecz, who had been an elementary teacher at Goodwin for the past 23 years, decided to make the switch to Old Saybrook High School this year. When asked why she made this significant change, she said, “I absolutely loved [teaching elementary school], but I felt like I was always doing the same thing… I felt like in my career, where I am right now, I needed to challenge myself again.” In the past, Mrs. Holecz taught many kids here at the high school, and she explains her feelings regarding that experience by noting, “That was the best part about coming here, because it was a full circle…Making such a huge connection, even when my girls (Emma and Grace Holecz, her daughters) were there, all of their friends, coming up here– truly one of the best moves I made.” She continued adding, “I have never been happier up here; I love seeing all the kids, it’s literally ending my career with where I started.”
Mrs. Holecz hopes to foster a good environment by creating a safe classroom space for everyone in the school. “I needed to make it homey, comfortable, and roomy, where kids can feel that they can come here whenever they want to.” To elaborate, she explains, “That’s why I constantly have food and snacks so they [students] can come in whenever they want. And I just wanted to make it like a welcoming environment for the kids…to feel comfortable that they can come to me any time, and they can just come and hang out if they need to.”
As for her plans for the impact she wants to make on the high school, Mrs. Holecz is interested in being a role in the management of Student Government, or an advisor for another club. She also has ideas for her own contributions to the school, “Someone (one of my students) asked if they could borrow one of my girls’ dresses for homecoming. So I brought in one of them. I’m like, how great we should have a closet here just full of dresses or things like that, everyone has dresses laying around that you’ll never wear again.”
Finally, when asked what challenges working at the high school brought, she described her need for more complex knowledge of topics. “During flex one of my first weeks, someone asked me if I can help them with pre-calculus. And I said, ‘I just finished basic addition and subtraction!’ That’s where I’m challenging myself. I had to study geometry this summer… and I’m pre-teaching myself a lot of biology.” Lastly, she exclaims, “So that’s what I love about it, because my mind is constantly working and constantly moving!”