The Social Studies Department selected  a new staff member for the 2025-2026 school year. In a short amount of time over 40 applicants were sifted through to find the right fit. 

“Sometimes in this process there aren’t a ton of candidates. As the years go forward there are just fewer people applying. We were very fortunate to get as many candidates in these positions and that’s why it took us longer. We really took our time and did our due diligence to find the right person for us,” Assistant Principal Kurt Schommer said. 

The interview committee consisted of the current social studies teachers that will be returning next year, Principal Bryant Bednarek, and  Assistant Principal Kurt Schommer. The committee asked questions and shared their thoughts on candidates 

“So we started off in the interview with myself, Mr. Marquis, Miss Leahy and Mr. Schommer. Mr. Bednarek did the questioning of the different candidates that we brought in and the rest of us sat, listened, and observed mannerisms. If the candidates had any questions for us, we answered a lot of those questions for them,” social studies teacher Jared Marshall said. 

The staff on the interview committee were looking for many things, though the main attributes they wanted were the ability to work with the other staff members, and a good attitude with students. 

“The first thing we were looking for was a good person who likes students, I can’t teach that, can’t make somebody like kids and have an energy for teaching,” Bednarek said. “The next thing was, do we think they could get with our school culture, and get along with the social studies department and work together as a team?” 

Even with so many candidates it didn’t take long for the committee to know who they would like to welcome to the district. 

“It didn’t take that long to come to a decision because we all kind of had similar views on the people that we interviewed,” social studies teacher Jennifer Leahy said.

The committee says they believe she will have a positive impact on the students, and that she will be a great addition to the school. 

“I believe the students will find this person to be very relatable to them. They are an extremely enthusiastic, energetic individual who’s really excited for the opportunity to start their career and start working here at Berlin High School,” Marshall said.