This fall, Mountain Lakes High School students received a warm welcome back to school from the many familiar faces of our faculty, as well as several new teachers and administrators. Kyla and I recently sat down with Mr. Pfister, the new Assistant Principal, to learn about his life and his plans for MLHS.
Mr. Pfister’s favorite part of the day is standing outside every morning to wish everyone a nice day.
In his hometown of Toms River, NJ, Mr. Pfister enjoyed playing soccer, lacrosse, and the tenor saxophone in every school band imaginable. Subsequently, at Lycoming College, he majored in mathematics and played Division III lacrosse. His first teaching job landed him in Rumson-Fair Haven, NJ, where he became the chess club advisor and continued his involvement in athletics as the lacrosse and surf coach. For the past fourteen years, Mr. Pfister has been an ocean lifeguard during the summers.
When discussing what inspired him to become a teacher, he credits his own young and enthusiastic high school math teachers. They “helped [him] fall in love with math” and embodied his three-part teaching philosophy:
(1) to make sure students are engaged in the material,
(2) to use information and data to prove that students are learning,
(3) to have a healthy teacher-student relationship.
To Mr. Pfister, the classroom is the teacher’s show and “every day is like an episode.”
When he arrived in Mountain Lakes, Mr. Pfister was struck by some of the special qualities that distinguish MLHS from its counterparts. He was particularly surprised to see the degree of freedom that our students enjoy. In his experience, it is rare to have a high school with open periods, open campus, and so many other opportunities. After all, not all schools have a multivariable calculus class, a Biotechnology Academy, or a program like Lake Drive.
Although MLHS has many unique features, Mr. Pfister believes there is still room to improve the school. He hopes to increase student involvement in clubs and activities to further “shine [a] light on the great things that they do” and to “bring back old traditions and create new ones as well.” His appreciation for new and old traditions was best reflected in the praise he demonstrated towards the student government, who very recently revived traditions such as pep rallies, bonfires, and the painting of senior parking spots.
Mr. Pfister would also like to implement digital announcements, as he expects that this would allow students that are interested in journalistic careers the chance to practice their craft. Future communications majors would not be the only students to benefit from Mr. Pfister’s future plans, as he wants to one day incorporate student internships into the curriculum to provide “real life experience for our seniors.”
Through more clubs and student-internships, students will be able to get an idea early on whether or not they want to pursue a particular field of study.
When asked about his guiding principles as a high school administrator, Mr. Pfister commented that one of the most important things to remember is that “[we] learn best from our peers.” He also explained that he does not let himself “judge a student based on one action” because everyone makes mistakes and everyone learns and grows from them.
One thing that Mr. Pfister hopes students remember about MLHS after they graduate is the relationships they had and the social skills they made because, in life, you are constantly collaborating with others and having to cooperate with and learn from other people. He hopes that after his students graduate they will remember him as being supportive, fair, and always having “their best interest at heart.”
0
0
Average Rating