Teacher Besties

Erdman, Frensilli, and Baldwin

By Kira Yates ‘16

AP Biology teachers Christina Baldwin, Allison Erdman and Janet Frensilli have worked together for 15 years. When they first met, the trio found each other “welcoming, interesting, and fun,” said Erdman. The three often get together at each other’s houses to hang out and relax. Their favorite memory together occurred at one of these hangouts, when Frensilli’s cat, William, knocked over a full glass of grape juice onto her white carpet, which resulted in a night full of attempting to clean the stain with salt and laughing hysterically.

The group feels that the word “mutualistic” perfectly describes their relationship because they constantly make each other laugh, help one another with problems, and organize shared materials. They also feel that this word represents their senses of humor, since they each teach about symbiotic relationships in their classes.

If they had any pet peeves about each other, it would be that they are each too perfect in their own ways. They appreciate that they complement each other well, like “ying and yang, but three, so three peas in a pod,” said Baldwin. The trio doesn’t know what they would do without each other, as they each hear out others’ problems, help brainstorm solutions and understand what they are going through.

Woolley and Allen

By Kayla Cohen ’17

Social Studies teachers Aileen Woolley and Scott Allen are quite the dynamic duo. Whether it’s planning the lesson for their classes or sharing their day, these two always enjoy each other’s company. When Woolley and Allen met for the first time, Woolley could tell that Allen was “a true historian.”

Allen describes Woolley as “the mom of the group, always looking out [for others].” They both agree that the best memory they have is together coaching Sherwood’s It’s Academic team for three years. “[With] any problem that came up, it was so nice to have someone to balance [ideas with] and collaborate to solve [the question],” said Woolley and Allen.

Woolley recently started working part-time, and Allen wishes he could see her more often, which is the most he could offer as a pet peeve. As for Woolley’s pet peeve, Allen puts in so many extra hours lesson planning for his students that he makes her feel guilty sometimes.

Allen defines his relationship with Woolley as the “buddy-system,” and Woolley considers him “her person,” whom she always turns to first at Sherwood. Woolley likes that Allen loves what he does and is very dedicated to teaching. Allen feels that Woolley’s commitment and concern for her students is incomparable.

Allen thinks that it is important to have a friend at work because, often times, one feels isolated teaching in a high school and does not have much interaction with the other teachers in the same department. “It is important for me to have someone I can get honest feedback [from],” said Allen.

Woolley enjoys how she and Allen learn from each other every day. “We have one priority, and it’s the same priority. And that is to make the classes we teach better,” said Woolley.

Cohan and Winiarz

By Steven Witkin ’16

Most of their students know that math teachers Thomas Cohan and Kevin Winiarz have a connection, but how close are these two buddies? For one thing, they spend most 6th periods together, talking while drinking coffee and grading papers. It was not always that way. Cohan admits that when he first saw Winiarz, “I thought he was nerdy, because he had the short hair and the glasses.”

Winiarz, however, had a different idea. He recalls that his first impression of Cohan was that, “Tom seemed pretty interesting … but he kept ignoring me and everyone else. So I had to get his attention somehow.” He did just that, in a rather memorable way. Winiarz recalls telling one of his students, a previous student of Cohan’s, to “tell Mr. Cohan he’s a total fraud when it comes to teaching.” It worked, and at the end of that day, Cohan came to his classroom and asked, “Did you call me a fraud today? … You’re the first one to figure me out.”

Ever since that day a few years ago, their friendship has thrived off of cynicism and caffeine. So much so that Cohan is convinced that “there are two reasons why Mr. Winiarz likes me, my coffee machine and because I laugh at his stupid jokes.” Their relationship extends out of school, as Winiarz visited Cohan in the hospital, but it’s the time during school that counts. “It helps to have an adult to talk to during the day,” Winiarz said, “He typically is stained in food … but Tom is one of my best friends.”

Aguilar and Kenyon

By Morgan Hill ’16

The collaborative relationship between Foreign Language teachers Moira Kenyon and Tanya Aguilar is, surprisingly enough, based on their opposing personalities.

When they first met, Aguilar saw Kenyon as a no-nonsense, friendly person. Kenyon saw Aguilar as a fun-loving and friendly teacher. When they got to know each other better, their personalities started to become clearer. Kenyon is more insistent on organization while Aguilar is more of a go-with-the-flow style teacher. “I’d compare it to OCD vs. not OCD,” Aguilar said. “She keeps me in check for sure and it’s fun to work with her since we’re so different and have different approaches to things.”

The duo teaches Spanish 4 and depends on each other for much more than just lesson planning and grading. They share the tradition of meeting at Passion Bakery for lunch to discuss their plans for their classes, but they also enjoy each other’s company during these meetings and appreciate spending time together. “It’s important to have a friend at work for vents, support and for fun.” Kenyon said.

Kinnetz and Games

By Milan Polk ’16

In the social studies department, Michelle Games and Josh Kinnetz are well-known for their sibling-like relationship. “He’s like my brother,” Games said. They both teach AP World History and as Games said, have a ritualistic “habit of back and forth joking”. Most notably, Kinnetz says he likes to “poke fun at [Games’s] old age”.

When the two first met, their initial thoughts of one another were not exactly complimentary. “I thought he looked like Dennis the Menace,” Games said.

Kinnetz felt that Games was a mystery when he came to Sherwood . “I thought she was a very reserved, if not uptight individual who intrigued me, said Kinnetz. “It kind of pushed me to get to know her.”

Although they pick on one another, they really do enjoy spending time together. “I grew to enjoy his vivacious personality and his intellectual curiosity,” Games said.

Kinnetz also finds Games’s intellect a trait that stands out. “She’s somebody who digs beneath the surface and really gets at the heart of things,” said Kinnetz.

Although they do not spend much time together out of school, the pair’s favorite memory was during this year’s National Gallery of Art field trip because they were able to learn more about one another’s artistic tastes. They are awaiting the chance to make even better memories during their upcoming Spring Break trip to Spain next year with students.