New Faces in the Science Department

As we the students begin the 2019-2020 school year, we are learning to adapt to our new schedules, friends, sports, and clubs. While getting used to our new student lives, we may fail to notice the new teachers in Cliffside Park High School. With the many fresh faces joining our school, each department has gotten additions. The Science Department has seen many of these additions, as we now have three new chemistry teachers, Danielle Cibelli, Dennis Sayer, and Eles Ledina.

To allow the student body to get to know these three new teachers, I took the liberty of interviewing them individually. Each one of them has an interesting past and is excited to continue their future here at Cliffside Park High School.

Ms. Cibelli

Ms. Cibelli is not only a new chemistry teacher at CPHS, she also is the coach of both the JV and Varsity Girls Soccer teams. When she was younger, she actually didn’t think she’d be a teacher at all. Instead, she thought she’d become a professional soccer player. Being interested in sports throughout her life, Ms. Cibelli always thought about the inner workings of the body. Biochemistry is the reason why Ms. Cibelli decided to pursue a career in the chemistry field. She has been teaching for the past 10 years and sports have remained an important of Ms. Cibelli’s life. She took the job opportunity at CPHS since both a teaching position and coaching position were open in the same district. Ms. Cibelli had also heard great things about our town. So far, she enjoys the environment of CPHS. One thing she commented on were the big classrooms, which allow a more hands on experience for students while doing activities like labs.

Mr. Sayer

Mr. Sayer has a lot of experience in teaching chemistry. In fact, this year will mark his 48th year as a teacher. Mr. Sayer has always been interested in the science field, but he did not think he would become a teacher. Instead, when he was younger, he wanted to be a doctor. Mr. Sayer stopped pursuing this career path after receiving his undergraduate degree. Although he was accepted into medical school, there were a lot of protests during this time surrounding the medical field. Soon after, he became a teacher thanks to his knowledge of science. Mr. Sayer had heard great things about CPHS, and so far, he has enjoyed his experience, noting that the students are very engaged and respectful. One fun fact about Mr. Sayer is that he is the grandfather of 5 children, and he also acts as the officiator of sports like soccer, basketball, and lacrosse in his free time.

Mr. Ledina

Mr. Ledina is actually a CPHS graduate (Class of 2006) and has always considered CPHS to be a second home. After graduating, he worked as a handyman for 8 years in Manhattan. Mr. Ledina stopped his work in this field because he decided that he wanted to go to medical school. While on his route to medical school, Mr. Ledina gained an interest in science, which led him to become a teacher. He taught at Elmwood Park for four years prior to his arrival at CPHS, making this year his 5th year of teaching. As he considers CPHS his home turf, once the option opened up to teach here, he seized the opportunity. So far, he is enjoying his experience as the kids are well behaved and hardworking. One fun fact about Mr. Ledina is that he enjoys comic books, specifically Batman comics, his favorite being The Dark Knight Returns.

I hope this article allows the student body to familiarize themselves with the new teachers in the Science Department. All of these fresh faces are ready to teach this year, and I can’t wait to see what their year is like!