Teachers at JFK

[Robin]

If any one is interested in "what ever happened to" their JFK teachers, let me know. I have been working there for 25+ years and may have some answers for you.

[JP68]

OK Robin whatever happened to these teachers
Mrs Zofria, Mr. Casapola, Ms Lipcrapz , Mr DeMarco
Mr Gioia, Mrs. Neilson , Mr. Gold , Mrs Cambell, Mr . Cordoto. Mr. Lianessa.and My personnal favorite
Jane Silverman.

[Robin]

Well as you can guess, most of them have retired. Here goes.....

Mrs. Zofrea retired about 7-8 years ago. She was the school scheduler. Still is in NJ but travels a great deal

Mr. Cassapula retired about 12 years ago. Again, still in NJ and still married to Edna Lattanzio. (she taught English)

Mr. DeMarco Became a VP and left JFK prior to 1977. I think he recently passed away

Mr. Gioia Retired in 2000. He and I were colleagues for 23 years. He lives in Totowa. He is still best friends with Ed DeYoung who also retired and lives in North Haledon.

Mrs. Neilson retired in 1990. She is about 150 years old and still is in NJ.
(Really she is approaching 90)

Mr. Gold passed away in the early 80's. 81 or 82.

Ms. Campbell is still at JFK. She is the Math Department Chairperson.

Mr. Cortotto retired about 7 years ago. He is still in NJ.

Mr. Leonessa retired in 2001. He was vice principal of an elementary school

Mrs. Silverstein is still at JFK. She is the science Department Chairperson. I am good friends with she and Alain Campbell.

[JOJO]

When I went to Central in 1965 Mr. Cassapula married one of his students, she had to wait til she graduated in 65 because of her being a student. I know this as a fact because I knew her and she was very pretty but had a nervous condition, she twitched her eyes and shoulders in certain situations. I forgot her name but she had black hair and everyone in school knew about them. They might have been married a short time but I do know that they did get married.
Mr. Jaffee was my favorite teacher, I am sorry to hear of his passing away and Mr. Gold was a very good teacher, I really learned in his class, I remember my first day with him , he said "If you want me to teach you and you want to learn you can stay but If Not GET OUT NOW.
I knew that he was not putting up with any nonsense.
JOJO

[Robin]

I am not sure about that. Cassapula married Edna Lattanzio in the early 70's. She was an English teacher. They are still together. I know that Mr. Walters married one of his ex students but I am not sure about Cassapula. I worked with him for 15 years and that never came up. If he did, it is one of the best kept secrets in the history of JFK. Now I need to find out!!!!!

[JOJO]

I remember now that her name was "Maureen" and I am positived that they got married or maybe they lived together. I am sure that they got married, it was so long ago that maybe I am alittle mixed up but I don't think that I am about this one. She hung around with a different crowd but she was not conceited and I liked her and I could never figure out what she saw in him.
Please do some checking up, maybe it is a dark secret.
JOJO
This girl graduated from Central in 1965.

[Bernard]

Could Mrs. Edna Lattanzio have formerly been Mrs. Vanatta? I had a Mrs. Vanatta for English in the late 60's a JFK.

Other teachers I remember:

Mr. Dickerson
Mr. Saddlecheck - Science?
Mr. Morris - Science?
Mr. Lipsitz - History
Mr. Caldwell - History
Mr. Abe Dempsey - History
Mr. McRae
Mrs. Johnson
Mr. Tunnard - Woodshop
Ms. Frazza - Art
Mr. Hudson - Art
Mr. DeFrank - Math

So many I've forgotten .

[SOS]

Looks like its time for another quiz- Match the teacher with the subject - Robin can be the judge!

1. Mr. Sedlatschek (hey- I'm Eastern European too- we just throw a bunch of consonants in a hat and pick out 11 or more to make up our names,) Miss Silverstein, Mr. Dudek, Mr. George, Mr. Brandon
2. Mr. De Frank, Mr. DeFeo, Ms. Campbell, Mrs. Zofria
3. Cletus McRae, Mr. Licker, Mr. Cass, Miss Uhia, Mrs. Melilli
4. Miss Frazza, Mr. William Hudson
5. Mr.Cartotto, Miss Lattanzio, Miss Lipsitz, Mr. & Mrs. Leonessa
6. Mr. Gut, Mr. Graham, Miss Hascup, Miss Zabriski, Ms. Ross,
7. Mr. Tunnard, Mr. Sheratsky, Mr. Ruocco
8. Ms. Maraschino, Mrs. Shields, Miss Maffei, Mrs. DelGuercio
9. Mrs. Todd, Mrs. Barnish, Mrs. Kline
10. Mrs. Novitsky, Mr. Kaba, Mrs. Massarsky

a. Art
b. Business
c. Science
d. Math
e. English
f. Fizz ed.
g. Foreign languages
h. Home ec.
i. Industrial arts
j. History

Extra Credit: Match the administrators:
Jimmy Comerford, Michael Gioia, , Richard Demarco, Beatrice Nielsen -
Superintendent of Schools, Principal, Vice Principal

Bonus: What the hell did Mr. Miggliaccio do?

[Robin]

Bernard,

Mrs. Vannatta was Miss Del Vecchio. She is now a Vice Principal at JFK. She is still Mrs. Vannatta, though divorced.

JoJo,
I will check out the Cassapula story. So far I am coming up empty.

SOS,
Great memory. Only two of the people on your list still work at JFK. Which two?

Emily Ross, now again Rome, is still there. She is still the same #*#!* that she was in 1969. She is also very old. My mother had her for 5th grade gym. My mom is 74!!!!

[Bernard]

Looks like its time for another quiz- Match the teacher with the subject - Robin can be the judge!

1. Mr. Sedlatschek, Miss Silverstein, Mr. Dudek, Mr. George, Mr. Brandon, Mr. Kaplan-Dept. Head = Science
2. Mr. De Frank, Mr. DeFeo, Ms. Campbell, Mrs. Zofria = Math
3. Cletus McRae, Mr. Licker, Mr. Cass, Miss Uhia, Mrs. Melilli, Mr. Hempsey, Mr. Caldwell = History
4. Miss Frazza, Mr. William Hudson = Art
5. Mr.Cartotto, Miss Lattanzio, Miss Lipsitz, Mr. & Mrs. Leonessa = English
6. Mr. Gut, Mr. Graham, Miss Hascup, Miss Zabriski, Ms. Ross, Mr. Canazaro, Mr. Smith, Mr. Felano = Fizz ed.
7. Mr. Tunnard, Mr. Sheratsky, Mr. Ruocco, Mr. Stevens, Mr. Kron = Industrial arts
8. Ms. Maraschino, Mrs. Shields, Miss Maffei, Mrs. DelGuercio
9. Mrs. Todd, Mrs. Barnish, Mrs. Kline
10. Mrs. Novitsky, Mr. Kaba, Mrs. Massarsky

Extra Credit: Match the administrators:
Jimmy Comerford=Principal JFK
Michael Gioia=Superintendent
Richard Demarco=Vice P
Beatrice Nielsen =Vice P

Bonus: What the hell did Mr. Miggliaccio do?
Good question!

The underlined are add-ins.
The strike throughs , I have no idea about. Some names are familiar. Some may not have been there when I was.

Thanks for the quiz

[SOS]

Thanks, Bernard- I'd guess your answers indicate either when you attended JFK or which classes you enrolled in-no surprise you knew the art teachers!- Todd, Barnish, & Kline were Home Ec. teachers (Mrs. Alice Todd was my personal favorite.) Maraschino, Shields, & DelGuercio taught Spanish & French. Maraschino was a huge, imposing woman missing 4 fingers on one of her hands; Mrs. Del G., a tiny, pretty lady was married to the art teacher at P.S. 5. Kaba, Novitsky & Massarsky taught business.- Hey Robin-where are thery now? & Does Emily Ross Rome still have her braid/bun and amazing posture?(I read a newpaper article about a year ago featuring her as the oldest teacher in NJ.)
JoJo, I had Mr. Cass for senior U.S. History- we all giggled about the 3 "cute" bachelors- Hazuda, Cortese, & Cassapula, (Biagi wasn't too shabby either)& guessed that they were dating some of the more socially precocious among us. aaahhh-the rest of us could only dream.
Hey JP- Hook the snowplow up to the John Deere- looks like a busy season ahead!
Happy Holidays to all!
Muriel

[SOS]

Hi Robin- from your posts, sounds like Jane Silverstein & Alain Campbell are still around, & both-like yourself- are department chairs? You are in great company. Ms. Silverstein had to be one of the smartest & most creative teachers I ever met- enjoyed her general science class as a sophomore. Zuke -JFK'66 - terrific old friend of mine, a graduate of Steven's Tech & last I heard, a grand poobah at a chemical company in central Jersey -and I, remember her fondly at his yearly get-together with other JFK alumni. (Christa McAuliff was right- many who teach truly touch the future- and you can never know just how far the inspiration extends.) I never had class with Ms. Campbell, but she had a reputation for fairness- something we kids valued passionately and had a powerful radar to detect. What is JFK like today?-The facility was brand new when I attended, a mix of older & young staff, crowded hallways- somewhere around 500 in my graduating class, - great basketball teams, disappointing football teams (somethings never change?!) "sock-hops" (the gym floor was too new to allow us to dance in shoes) terrific concerts & musicals directed by Lou Bisio & truly scary cafeteria food. Did the greenhouse or astronomy lab ever get up & running? Did Cass continue "Special U.S. History"-mock U.N. assemblies, etc. in the amphitheater?
Peaceful & safe holidays!
Muriel (Sister Of Sausage)

[JP68]

I remember having Mr.Gut and Filano and Graham
for fizz ed and Mr Rucco hitting me with his paddle.I had Mrs Shields for Spanish. I had Mrs Zofria for math as well as Mrs Cambell and Mrs Van Rensalear and Miss Lipcrapz for English.
Mrs Silverstien I had a crush on she was such a beautiful women. Tell her hello from me when you see her Robin (like she'd remember) LOL
There was a gril in my class that married one of the teachers I remember the girl but cant seem to remember who the teacher was. Hey SOS the snow wasnt that bad.
I was remembering something that happened in the hallways of Kennedy when I was there told some co-workers and they couldnt believe it.
I remember one time being brought back to school by the police
and I had Paper I was doing in my back pocket on John Milton
and the cop asked me my name and I told him my name and he grabbed the paper and said your lying your name is John Milton
He brought me to Comerfords office. Jimmy was a family friend and lived down the block. when the cop told him he caught John Milton Jimmy just laugh and let me go.

[JOJO]

Dear S.O.S
The only Mr. Del Guercio that I remember taught Art in school #5. I remember him very well, he was one of the last to retire in school 5. I saw him the year that he retired and I took a picture of him, my brother and I were visiting Paterson and it was a week day and school had just gotten out. He said that he didn't remember my brother but he looked at me and said "I remember you". I guess I was one of those students that if I didn't care for the class I fooled around alot and tried to be a class clown. I am not proud of it now but you live and learn. To take a wild guess he must have retired in 1995 or around then.
JOJO

[Robin]

JP: I am sure that Jane will remember you. She really has a great memory for her students. The John Milton story is hilarious and par for the course for a cop.... Bob Gut is still at JFK. He is the athletic director.

JoJo: I asked all of the people that I know, who were friends of Don Cassapula in the 60's, and none of them remember him being married. One woman said that you may be mixing him up with her ex husband who was a teacher at Central and married his student once she graduated. This woman said that she has known Cass most of her life and he has only been married once and that is to his current wife. But he was a player!!!!
I also had Del Gurcio in 5's. He was a power hungry man. Everyone was afraid of him and no one could stand him. He would be brought up on charges today if he treated the students the same way.

Muriel: The halls are more crowded as our enrollment is close to 2800. The graduating classes are small because many kids drop out or move. We have a very transiant population. The staff is a mix of veteran and novice teachers. My department has 23 members. Of them, 8 are 30 and under. We have around 8-10 that are over 50 and the rest fit in the middle. We are typical of most departments. The students have changed with the times. There are 20% that make it bad for the rest. Most of the kids are great.

Everyone have safe and happy holidays.
Robin