Science Olympiad coach. RICHER Program sponsor. Volleyball coach. Algebra teacher. Mentor. Friend. Mrs. Colie Zwierz, math teacher, wears many hats at Bishop Noll but will be putting them away at the end of the school year as she leaves Noll after ten years to begin teaching at Portage High School. She says her reason for leaving is because both of her children will be starting school in Portage so she decided to get a job that will allow her to be closer to them. She will have over 2,500 students at the new school she will be working at and hopes that she will adjust easily to her new work environment.

  “My next job opportunity will allow me to be closer to my children. If something were to happen at school, I will only be a few minutes away,” she said. “For me, it’s the little moments that I tend to miss out on when you are not close to home.”  

    In the 10 years she’s been at Noll,  Zwierz has taught every level of Algebra I, Algebra II, Honors Precalculus, Finite Math and even spearheaded  the STEM/Algebra program with the 8th graders. She also coached JV volleyball for six years, was involved in Student Council for eight  years, sponsored the RICHER program for 10 years, and coached the Science Olympiad team for two years.

  “I loved everything that I have been involved with at Bishop Noll because you get to see students shine in things you may not see in the classroom,” she said.

   Zwierz says she’s most proud of her students’ success in and out of the classroom. “Some students do not even realize the impact they have had on me, but I am a better person because of them,” she said.

  According To Zwierz, she will miss all of her colleagues, students and the environment here at Noll.

  “I love the environment here at BNI and have been putting off leaving as long as I could because I truly like it here. If I could, I would move this place closer to where I live,” says Zwierz.

  Ms. Jessica Omelanczuk, assistant principal at Noll, has become very close friends with Zwierz in the years that they have worked together.From a professional standpoint, Omelanczuk says Zwierz is as good as it gets.

  “She is reliable and we can always count on her to get the job done well. Mrs. Zwierz always goes above and beyond what is expected of her, and she always does it with a smile on her face and with a positive attitude,” Omelanczuk said.

 From a personal standpoint, Omelanczuk will miss her friendship and positive demeanor that she exudes upon the faculty.

  “I have been lucky enough to not only work alongside Mrs. Zwierz for the past 8 years, but I have also gained a lifelong friend,” she said.I will miss her deeply next year, but I know she will do great things at her new school.  I will most miss our dress up days during spirit week and our daily chats. I will miss being on the third floor with her and having lunch with her. No matter what kind of day I am having I can always count on Mrs. Zwierz to put a smile on my face and always look at the positive side of things.”  

    Mr. Melero, who is currently a theology teacher here at Noll, will be taking Mrs. Zwierz’s place when she leaves. He says that he is most looking forward to teaching in the field that he studied in college.

   “Math has always been my favorite subject as a student.  Moreover, my minor in college was scientific math, meaning I took classes like College Algebra, Calculus 2, Physics,” he says.

  He thinks that his transition from teaching theology to math will be fairly easy.

  “I think teaching theology for a semester at Noll has benefitted me because I know how the schedule works, what to expect from the students, how the technology works at the school, so I plan to integrate what worked in my theology class to my math class and vice versa.”

   He has not officially found out all the classes that he will be teaching yet, but he plans on continuing to help out with baseball, starting a weight lifting club after school, and helping out with retreats.