This year, Morris Knolls has the privilege of welcoming a new art teacher, Mrs. DiRenzo. She will be teaching art as a leave replacement for Mrs. Gallo until December. Originally majoring in art at Sussex County Community College, Mrs. DiRenzo transferred to Pratt Institute in order to receive her bachelors. Going into her third year of teaching overall, she had previous experience teaching elementary and middle school students, but she explained that teaching high school is ideal, as “we can do more intricate projects and have more creative freedom!”
In her high school years, Mrs. DiRenzo ran track all four years and was a cheerleader as a freshman and sophomore. When asked if there was someone who influenced her to become a teacher, she notably replied “My high school art teacher, Mr. O, he really encouraged me. My senior year of high school, all the classes I could have possibly taken for art, I did. He used to joke that I would take over when he retired!” Aside from this influence, Mrs. DiRenzo also shared that her grandfather was a teacher at Knolls.
Outside of school, some of Mrs. DiRenzo’s hobbies include hiking, going to the gym, and spending time with her two children Luca (3) and Natalina (10 months). She joked that her summer vacation was “filled with bottles and diapers!”
Mrs. DiRenzo is especially appreciative of how kind and welcoming everyone at Knolls has been so far. The sentiment is requited as Assistant Principal and Supervisor of Visual and Performing Arts Mrs. Morgan remarked, “She’s so eager, she’s always got a smile on her face, and she just exudes positivity. It’s difficult to find a leave replacement who knows the subject matter and shows a lot of effort when creating her lesson plan. She’s fitting in beautifully!”
In her time here, Mrs. DiRenzo has not only made an impact on her colleagues, but her students as well. Her mixed media sculpture student Angelina Mallack explained that “It’s a fun class in itself, but she makes it even more fun by giving good opinions and helping others when they need it. She has been so nice, I’m really sad about her leaving!”
