Five teachers will depart from the Pinewood community at the end of the year: math teachers Anna Scicinska, Lauren Ortmann, and Stuart Hamilton, and English teachers Cherie Zepp and Holly Coty.

   Scicinska, co-head of the Math Department, came to Pinewood in 2004. She is retiring to spend more time with her family. Her favorite experience at Pinewood has been teaching an array of students and curricula.

   “[Pinewood] has given me an enormous breadth of classes and levels to enjoy,” Scicinska said. “It’s been wonderful having that variety.”

   She said she hopes that she instilled courage and independence in her students.

   “Ultimately, you want your success to be because you had the confidence to keep going and to aim for high standards,” Scicinska said. “[Teachers] are like the support wheels on a bicycle. The sooner those support wheels come off and you fly off by yourself the better.”

   Ortmann, who was drawn to Pinewood in 2022 by the vibrant school culture, is looking forward to pursuing new opportunities in Nevada.

   She said she has been thankful for the opportunity to help students improve their confidence and manage stress.

   “Math is a very scary subject for a lot of students,” Ortmann said. “I hope that my students feel comfortable learning, growing, and making mistakes.”

   Eighth grader Naomi Borau said she appreciated Ortmann’s cheerful attitude and outlook.

   “[Ortmann] has taught me that there’s always positivity; you just have to keep looking for it,” Borau said. “It’ll be hard, but you’re going to see that there’s a positive outcome to everything, even a bad test grade.”

   Hamilton, who is retiring after his fourth year at Pinewood, is excited to spend more time exercising, reading, traveling, and with his granddaughter.

   Hamilton has tried to challenge students and foster a love of math, something that junior Alisha Ramani appreciated.

  “[Hamilton’s] class helped me detach learning from the grade that I was getting,” Ramani said. “He pushed us and allowed us to struggle and understand that learning is a continuous process, not something you do just for a test.”

   Hamilton hopes that students will utilize their time at Pinewood to reflect on their individuality.

   “I’d like for students to use this time to get to know how their brain works and to freely express themselves knowing that, within this community, they’re not going to be judged; they’re going to be accepted,” Hamilton said.

   Zepp will retire at the end of the year after 16 years at Pinewood. She plans to write, read, and travel but is sad to leave her students and colleagues.

   “I’ll miss working with students and the breadth of all they do — the energy and creativity they bring in the classroom, on the stage, or on the court and field,” Zepp said. “I’ll miss my colleagues who are so much more than that. They’re friends and mentors.”

   Zepp has worked as a teacher for 23 years, as teaching is a second career for her.

   She may pursue another master’s degree, a Ph.D., or another teaching opportunity if she encounters something enticing.

   Coty, who came to Pinewood in 2021, has decided to pursue one of her lifelong passions by attending nursing school.

   She hopes that students understand that Pinewood is a special place to be.

   “I love the way that [Pinewood] says to any student, ‘If you want to try something, be brave and just go for it, and don’t worry about if you’re good or bad at it because you’re going to learn something about yourself in the process,’” Coty said.

   Her advice? Be curious and be open.

   “Find what you’re curious to learn about and go at it with all of your passion and enthusiasm,” Coty said. “Nobody should ever sit in a classroom and be uninterested. There’s no room for that in life.”