Mendham High School is excited to welcome several new teachers and staff members this school year. Our staff writers had the pleasure of interviewing them to learn more about their backgrounds.
Ms. Baxter
Mendham High School is excited to introduce Kylie Baxter as a new school counselor for the 2024-2025 academic year. With a deep commitment to student welfare and a passion for fostering a supportive environment, Ms. Baxter is ready to make a significant impact on the school community.
Kylie Baxter, a graduate of Rutgers University, first found her calling in school counseling during her high school years. Initially aspiring to become an athletic trainer, her perspective changed when she met a vibrant, young school counselor. “She was super bubbly and friendly and kind of changed my mind on what I wanted to do in the future,” Baxter reflected. This experience inspired her to help younger students navigate their academic and personal challenges.
Having completed her internship at Voorhees High School, this year marks Baxter’s first full year as a school counselor. When asked about her decision to join Mendham, she emphasized the welcoming atmosphere she encountered. “When I came here, just immediately when I walked into the school, all the staff were extremely friendly and positive and supportive,” she shared. “Supportive was the most important thing to me because you don’t find it at every single school.” Outside of school, Baxter is an enthusiastic runner, currently training for a half marathon in Maryland. “Each year, my sister and I do a half marathon in a different state,” she said, recalling her previous experiences in Florida and Rhode Island. “It’s super fun to train for in the fall.” Ms. Baxter is set to be a significant asset to the Mendham High School community. Her dedication to student well-being and her approachable demeanor will resonate with students navigating their formative years. “I want to be that inspiration that I had,” Baxter concluded, embodying the spirit of a counselor committed to making a difference.
Mrs. Hartle
Mrs. Hartle teaches levels 2 and 3 of Advanced Spanish and has been teaching for 20 years. Mrs. Hartle grew up speaking Spanish and English simultaneously. She said, “I was born here, but both of my parents are from Colombia.” Her most recent teaching experience was at Madison High School before joining Mendham. Mrs. Hartle switched schools from Madison to Mendham to work closer to home. Ava and Lia Hartle, her daughters, attend Mendham High School and she is thrilled to see her children in the hallways.
Long walks with her dog, exercising, and art are things she likes to do in her free time when she is not busy at work. Her plans for the future are to stay at Mendham High School for a while as she still has several years left in her career. She advises her students who may want to pursue world language further: “[to take the] opportunity to spend some time in a Spanish-speaking country or the language that they are interested in [studying] … just to get to know the people and the culture.” She also advises students telling them, “Just to follow their passions. If something really interests them even if maybe they don’t think it’s an area of strength, … go pursue it because if they have that interest, then you’re already ahead of the game.”
Ms. Dean
From middle school English to high school Art, Ms. Dean, the new teacher of sculpture, ceramics, and photography has done it all. Ms. Dean has been teaching for twelve years, however, this is her first year at the high school level and as an art teacher.
Ms. Dean said, “ I find that these particular classes are usually taken by kids afraid of art. So I like that angle.” She likes to use the things students are afraid of and incorporate them into her projects, allowing students to not only personalize their projects but also branch out into new styles and mediums that they’re not as comfortable with. She also likes to branch out into new art mediums, other than her favorite medium of chalk pastels. Ms. Dean says, “I am starting to really like teaching things that I’m less comfortable with because I find that I’m finding out and figuring out what it is that they’re going to struggle with because I also find those things … challenging.” She believes that challenging yourself is a good thing, and to always remember that your work does not have to be perfect.
Mr. Coiro
Mr. Coiro is dedicated to helping students learn about technology and engineering. He worked at Central High School before working at Mendham, we are honored to have him join the community.
Mr. Coiro was a chemical engineer before becoming a teacher. He then became a chemistry teacher at Central High School where he taught for eight years. At Central, Mr. Coiro began teaching about Robotics. According to Mr. Coiro, “I found an incredible value in the education that robotics provides, which I believe prepares students for engineering and prepares students to become better thinkers.” Now, Mr. Coiro teaches Robotics at Mendham High School in the mornings and teaches Robotics and Chemistry in the afternoons at Central.
Mr. Coiro is enlightening students with his Robotics course. He explained that the course is full of fun games to get students more interested in what they are doing. “I invite all students to come and take Robotics, it’s an enriching experience that allows for better design, and also it’s competitive in a way that a lot of classes are not,” exclaimed Mr. Coiro. Coiro’s goal for that class is to allow students to create whatever projects they want with the given ideas being taught.
Ms. Bonura
Ms. Celeste Bonura joins the West Morris Regional High School District as the Director of Pupil Services for grades 9-12+. Ms. Bonura brings her prior experience and expertise as a Director and Supervisor of Pupil and Special Services and as a school psychologist. She has previously worked with a K-12 population but is excited to focus specifically on students of high school age.
Ms. Bonura specializes in working with students with disabilities, she wants to help support and build programs based on the needs of our special education students and families. The support she can provide for families makes it all worth it. She emphasized, “The most enjoyable part is seeing the work we put in for the students and what works for them be meaningful and effective, and positively impact a student’s life overall.”
Ms. Bonura is passionate about education, kids, and the brain; she finds learning about neuroscience and how the brain functions in various ways fascinating, she wouldn’t be able to do this without her family supporting her to be flexible outside of working hours so that “every student, every staff member, and every family in this district I responded to with diligence and with empathy is a priority.” Outside of work, she can still maintain her mental and physical health by exercising, being with family, playing/watching soccer, and relaxing.
Mr. McCumber
Mr. McCumber is a special education teacher who started as a general education teacher. He worked with another teacher who was an in-class Biology special education teacher and he liked the work that she was doing. She would identify students who needed extra help or those who were struggling. He says that when he saw what she did, he thought he would get more enjoyment out of helping somebody who was struggling rather than just presenting information to students.
What made Mr. McCumber follow his interest in being a special education teacher was that he felt a connection with the kids who needed extra support. Mr. McCumber said, “I have a lot of the same issues as the ones that my students have.” When his students are struggling, he notices that they avoid many things, and when they start to feel behind they avoid the classwork. He tries to support them and gives them the help they need to succeed in the class.
When managing the class he stated, “It’s not a very strict way of doing things. I tend to have a relaxed attitude about things. I have expectations. I expect them to be followed but outside of that we typically get along pretty well and the students are pretty great.” Mr. McCumber loves science. He says, “I love science and special education is a way for me to help people who are struggling with science. Special Education has been a way to help that struggling student to find a tolerance and appreciation of science.”
Mr. Haggerty
West Morris Mendham High School’s newest faculty member, James Haggerty, is passionate about helping special needs students attain a proper education. Caring for a brother with special needs, and having a father who is a teacher at Mendham Township Middle School, Mr. Haggerty was destined to help others in public service. After attaining his Master’s at Ramapo College, Mr. Haggerty previously worked in both the Madison and Butler school districts as a Special Education Teacher working with small groups of students with special needs. In a recent interview with Mr. Haggerty, he explained his enjoyment of working at Mendham High School.
When asked what separates Mendham from the other school districts he has worked at Mr. Haggerty stated, “Mendham in terms of quality of teachers as well as the amount of effort and care that students put into their schoolwork and extracurriculars, I think is outstanding.” Mr. Haggerty also explained how his favorite part of his job is the relationships he builds with other teachers and students. Mr. Haggerty spends his free time traveling to different cities like Atlanta, Chicago, Las Vegas, and San Francisco to concerts and other live music events.
