Pascack Valley High School has welcomed many students into its halls over the years. What you may not know though is that many teachers at PV have also spent their high school years here too. In every department, there are at least two teachers who are alumni of the very school they teach in. During interviews, alumni teachers shared their opinions on changes to the school since their time as students, as well as what it was like coming back as a teacher.
Physical Education teacher Ronald Villone is one of the youngest teachers at Valley, making him the teacher who graduated from PV most recently. Villone graduated from Valley in 2015, before coming back to teach years later.
As a high school student, Villone was much like other seniors in regards to knowing what he wanted career-wise, meaning by the time he got to graduation he wasn’t completely sure what he wanted to do.
“I wanted to coach. I definitely wanted to coach and the easiest way you can do that is by teaching and my mom’s a teacher too. So I mean, I’m sure she influenced me by not even knowing or saying anything to me.” Villone said.
Villone was a part of the baseball team when he attended PV, and is now one of the coaches for the same team.
“…I’m so much more prideful of winning and doing the right thing. That’s the biggest thing, you don’t win without doing the right thing. So preaching those morals that were taught to me has made me the person I am today, Villone said. “To just get those kids, or get these guys to where they need to be, as not only players but young adults. I think that’s the coolest part for me.”
After graduating from college, Villone came back to Valley as a Physical Education teacher. Villone said he was happy with the choices that led him to come back to PV and according to him, this school is the perfect fit for him.
“It’s really an awesome place to be.” Villone stated happily during his interview. “I’m happy I was able to come back here because it’s a really good family belonging, a welcoming environment.”
Valerie Mattessich, Supervisor of English, Art, and Libraries at both Pascack Valley and Hills, graduated from Valley in 1995.
“I’m in charge of curriculum, especially new English classes,” Mattessich said.
Now, Valley has many different options other than just your standard English class. Thanks to Mattessich and the other English teachers, multiple new class courses have been added to the Valley curriculum.
Events like the Valley Cup have also changed much over the years according to Mattessich, though in some ways they are still the same.
“It looks a little different, but it’s kind of the same, I guess,” Mattessich said.
Mattessich has done much for both Valley and Hills, since her days as a high school student at PV.
“It’s an honor to have really called this place my home for my entire career, as well as my high school career. It’s always treated me like a family, I think it’s the best place to work.”
Another alumnus, Forensics teacher Russell Grier, attended Valley in the early 90’s. After teaching for over 20 years, he has seen many students come and go through PV, including some of the teachers who work here today.
In all of his years working at the high school, Grier has noticed a few changes from his time as a student to now.
“I think people are a lot more intermingled and tolerant of each other now, as opposed to back in the old days where [it was] much more cliquey. I feel like there’s much more cliques where, you know, you kind of hung with your own group and you didn’t go outside your group. So I feel like nowadays, it’s not uncommon for anybody to talk to anybody. So that’s kind of…a nice change.”
Like most of the teachers who have been here for a long time, Grier has also seen the alterations to our school events firsthand. According to Grier, the major changes are in events like Valley Cup, as well as other events involving the student body.
“Nowadays, the Valley Cups and the pep rally is so much more interesting, and so much more fun because everybody can get involved and it’s not all just about football.”
Not only did Grier attend Valley during his high school years, but his family also attended. All of his children have also graduated or are currently attending PV, having some of the very same teachers he had when he attended. For example, both he and his sons were taught by Spanish Teacher Andrew Lewis, during their time at the school.
Each teacher explained that PV was like a home to them, a welcoming and comfortable environment, and because of that, Pascack Valley High School is now home to 12 teacher alumni.
