Along with a new horde of freshmen and a fancy new clock tower, Becton welcomes two new physical education teachers to its staff.

Ms. Wagenti, the gym teacher for the first half of the day, and Mr. Guarnieri, the gym teacher for the latter half of the day, have joined forces with Ms. O’Driscoll and Mr. Settembrino, and are both equally as excited to interact with the Becton staff and students during the 2014-2015 school year. Both staff members also look forward to helping coach the boys’ and girls’ track teams this spring.

A recent Kean University graduate, Ms. Wagenti explains that her college courses have fueled her career in sports and notes that she enjoys witnessing students improve in physical activity. She also adds that she is looking forward to this year and hopes to introduce lacrosse to the physical education curriculum.

While Ms. Wagenti has always been interested in sports, she also appreciates the teaching aspect of her career. “When the kids understand something about physical education, and I am the one that made that happen, that’s what makes it for me,” she said.

Other than being a member of the Becton staff and the freshman class adviser, this avid fan of retired Yankees pitcher, Mariano Rivera, enjoys coaching and playing soccer as well as lacrosse.

Much like Ms. Wagenti, Mr. Guarnieri has been welcomed as a fresh face to Becton’s staff. A graduate of William Paterson University, he previously worked at Hawthorne High School as a paraprofessional, as well as a coach to the Hawthorne Football Team.

Mr. Guarnieri notes that his transition to Becton has been smooth, and his prior experience in athletics has helped him adapt to responsibilities as a physical education teacher. Working at Becton has given the gym teacher the opportunity to relate to a variety of students, and he notes that the friendliness of the students has made his new career an easy transfer.

“It’s what I love,” he said. He expresses that it made sense to study athletics, being that he was highly involved in sports and staying active throughout his life.

Although Mr. Guarnieri enjoys spending time with family and keeping tabs on Eli Manning among other athletes, he is mostly looking forward to teaching volleyball for the first semester here at Becton.

Both teachers have made it very clear that the Becton staff and students are very welcoming and helpful, and they anticipate having a positive school year.