By Kirk Geller ’16

The West Essex faculty works hard and dedicates themselves to present the students with the best available education, but some teachers in our school extend themselves past teaching. Some teachers excel in more than just the subjects they teach, competing in many different athletics including field hockey, baseball and even kickboxing. Many different teachers, though, also train to participate in a number of different races and events.

English teacher Ms. Zuppa, over the past two years, has been involved in two different mud run races, an event in which participants navigate through a course consisting of various obstacles that are covered with mud. Ms. Zuppa and her husband, Giuseppe, are currently training to compete in the same race together for the first time when they head to Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia for a Spartan Race. The training she and her husband do is extremely energy-draining, but they know that it will pay off in the long run.

“The races help me build motivation and help me become more conscious even though I’ve had to work around my teaching schedule,” Ms. Zuppa said.

Along with Ms. Zuppa, many other West Essex teachers have competed in either a mud run or Spartan Race in their life. These teachers include Mr. Myerson, Ms. Wall, Ms. Celentano and even principal Mr. Diliberto participates.

“It definitely helps perseverance and it builds your ego which is always helpful when you’re my age,” Diliberto said. “It’s a lot of fun and a real bonding experience with whoever you do it with.”

Physical education teacher Mr. Llauget played in a semi-pro baseball league up until 2010 when he decided to focus solely on coaching. He played for over 10 years and even started playing summer baseball along with other leagues at the age of 13. Llauget’s knowledge of the game and past experience with actually playing the sport has helped him gain new insights on how to coach his players and give them motivation during difficult games.

Mr. Linsalato also uses his qualities from his past training to improve his teaching skills as a physical education teacher. Linsalato trained in kickboxing for about six years where he learned to build intensity, work ethic and handling discomfort in certain situations.

“In my transition to teaching, the qualities from kickboxing helped me with the work ethic and confidence aspect of my daily responsibilities as a teacher,” Mr. Linsalato said. “Being able to understand what my players have to endure and playing myself has certainly advanced how I coach and the way I handle the kids,” Llauget said. With the knowledge of actually playing the game, Llauget is able to change his coaching style to fit any situation.

These teachers show great dedication by finding time to compete in different events or participate in different sports that hold a passion for. They each learned from these periods in their lives and were able to take certain lessons from them and apply them to their everyday lives. Showing great resolve for what they care about, students can easily learn from the teachers they see every day.