Mr. Ferguson has embarked on a new role here at Braintree High School, as he has now gained the new title to add to his unique resume: full-time English teacher for the 2024-2025 school year.
“A position became available, and I applied and got the job. After all the budget cuts, a lot of teachers looked at other places to work, and you know some people took other positions. Ms. Sarantakies (former BHS English teacher) took a job in a different district, so this job became available.”
Mr. Ferguson has been part of the Braintree High School community since his mid-year arrival in 2022. Originally, the role was to be a long-term sub for Mrs. Violette during her time away for maternity leave.
“I came into Braintree in 2022 in February… I taught freshmen English and junior English… at the honors level, I was coming in for Ms. Violette.”
Their have been plenty of opportunities for Mr. Ferguson to have a well-rounded BHS experience unique from other teachers in the building.
“The following year I was supposed to be the building sub, and I started helping with the EL program downstairs for Ms. Fazio and worked with Ms. Crane, and after about a month Ms. Panza went out for maternity leave, and I taught her sophomore and senior year English. Last year I was just the building sub and the SAT lab teacher… also a physics teacher for a month.”
It was not until his fourth year that he was given a set role. But, by being so versatile, he has been used greatly at BHS. If you ask Mr. Ferguson, he has always been welcomed and is part of the Braintree High community.
“The whole department was very welcoming to me from the get-go…they were supportive. This is year four; I have made connections in the building, and you know I am a presence here now. Your first few years of teaching people may be, Oh, your the new guy. Kids may be like, who is that teacher? But now it is: oh, thats just Ferg.”
One thing that Mr. Ferguson has always been vital in and consistently apart of is the theater department. With a college education in theater, finding a role in theater at BHS was simple.
“I am the adviser for the club itself as well as the technical director for the musical; I make sure the set, the lights, and the sound are all figured out; I work with students; I mentor and guide. Theater is my passion and we work after school and we do it as an after-school activity so the kids want to be there, so they make it part of their home schedule. We want them to like that and having a good experience, so it is encouraging to see the same kids come back and be apart of that community.”
With a new title,, you would assume their would be new adjustments. But, not much has changed for Mr. Ferguson with his new role at BHS.
“Starting all new, starting at the beginning of the year, is my space, my classroom; it is very bare; I am still trying to work on it. But I bought some posters and I want to put them up, and I am trying to figure that out… plans for student work to be on the walls… so it is kind of a work in progress but a planned work in progress. The only difference is really the title and setting the examples and how we run the class.”
Mr. Ferguson has been involved in many aspects at BHS; now being a full-time English teacher, it is just another year inside the same building.
“But now you do not know Braintree High School without me, so now I am part of the community.”
