Onondaga Central
Onondaga’s Jr./Sr. High has welcomed many new staff members to the building this year. Meet the new teachers and administrators and help welcome them to OCS!
Helping Onondaga’s chorus sing loud and clear is Ms. Lenkiewicz! As the high school’s new chorus teacher, she has been grateful for all the support from staff and students and truly enjoys that aspect of OCS. Before coming to Onondaga at the very end of last year, she taught piano lessons at the Fayetteville YMCA, making this her first teaching position. Ms. Lenkiewicz was drawn to Onondaga for its small size and truly appreciated having a student on the interview panel. To her, it showed the administration cares about the music department as well as the staff and students’ well-being. The best part of her job is when the chorus puts all the parts together and sings as one, it is like putting the pieces of a puzzle together. Something that surprised her about OCS is how involved all the students are. For example, students go to sports practice and then head over to drama rehearsal, juggling both activities and schoolwork. Ms. Lenkiewicz also grew up in Syracuse, attending Christian Brothers Academy. For college, she attended Gettysburg University before transferring to Syracuse University. In college, she learned how to play all the instruments, but thinks the Trombone is the most fun to play. When asked what her favorite type of music was, she said she could not choose, adding she loves all music equally. Ms. Lenkiewicz’s inspiration to become a chorus teacher was her own high school chorus teacher and the influence and impact she had on her life. When she is not helping OCS Drama sing or conducting chorus, she enjoys playing piano, binging television shows, and walking her two golden doodles. One thing many people do not know about Ms. Lenkiewicz is that she was once in the local newspaper as a kid, so being interviewed now brings back memories. Onondaga is excited to welcome Ms. Lenkiewicz and all her musical talents! Mrs. Dunham is a new addition to Onondaga’s English department, teaching 8th grade English and writing lab. Previously she worked at Westhill for ten years before taking eight years off to raise her family. Before applying to Onondaga, she was a long-term sub at both West Genesee and Jamesville Dewitt. Mrs. Dunham enjoys working at a small school and being able to recognize students as staff as they walk down the halls. Another positive about Onondaga is the friendly staff and students. The close proximity and her knowledge of Onondaga being a small and exponential school, drew her to the job position. According to Mrs. Dunham, the best part of being in English is being able to read all the time. She prefers reading over writing, especially historical fiction books, which is her favorite genre. Mrs. Dunham grew up in Syracuse, attending Bishop Ludden and then attending LeMoyne college upon graduation. It was not just her love of reading that attracted her to becoming a teacher; Mrs. Dunham worked with children in Parks and Recreation Programs over the summer as a high schooler. Beyond the pages of a book, Mrs. Dunham enjoys hiking, sewing, cross country skiing, and snowshoeing. She has three sons, all of whom are in high school. Something many people do not know about Mrs. Dunham is a the she is a Yankees baseball fan and she sews some of her own clothes. So next time you see her in a stylish outfit, be sure to know it could be something she created herself! Before ending the interview, Mrs. Dunham wanted to make sure to thank everyone at Onondaga, both staff and students, for being welcoming and making her first month so easy. And in return, Onondaga wants to thank Mrs. Dunham as well for coming here and teaching our students and expanding their knowledge every day! Ms. Zieniuk is the 7th-9th graders’ counselor. Prior to working at OCS, she worked with students as an intern at Mexico High School. She was drawn to Onondaga because “it is a small yet diverse school.” She likes that because, in a smaller school, she can make more “genuine relationships” and be more involved in school and community activities. She says she really likes how welcoming OCS is and the area surrounding it. When asked what surprised her most about OCS, she answered by saying, “ Honestly, the lack of interest in playing sports.” While some teams have a good amount of athletes, others struggle to gather a whole team. Ms. Zieniuk, who also happens to be the girls’ modified soccer coach, includes that it was hard to “field a whole team.” She grew up in a town called Scotia which is about two hours east of Syracuse. When she was 12, she won $150 in a junior bass fishing tournament for coming in second place; her brother happened to come in first and won $200. Some of her hobbies include going to Target, being outside when the weather is nice, snowboarding/skiing, and making memories at her parents’ camp on Sacandaga Lake. She likes to listen to all types of music depending on what mood she is in. She isn’t married, nor does she have kids, but she plans on that for the future. Growing up, Ms. Zieniuk would play “school” with her friends. As she grew up she realized that being a school counselor was a “fulfilling career path for her and something that she truly enjoys.” Ms. Zieniuk earned her associate’s degree at OCC, her bachelor’s degree at SUNY Cortland, and finally her master’s at SUNY Oswego. Mr. Smolen, the new officer at OCS, grew up in Marcellus; that is part of the reason he was drawn to OCS. He says all of his friends were from the area, and he adds in that, “this is my community.” Mr. Smolen enjoys skiing, fishing, travelling, and hiking with his kids. He loves spending time with his family. His favorite music is country music. He also played the drums in school. He is married and has two kids, a 15 year old daughter and an 11 year old son. To earn his bachelors, Mr. Smolen attended Columbia College. He has a degree in criminal justice and is attending S.U. currently to earn a masters in public administration. When asked about something many people do not know about him, Mr. Smolen says it’s a hard question to think about, but it’s probably the amount of things he’s done. He explains how he has travelled all around the world through the military and how he went overseas three times. Prior to OCS, Mr. Smolen worked as a sheriff at Onondaga’s Sheriff Office for 22 years and then was in the Air Force for 20 years. He says, “This is a retirement job.” He likes how OCS is a small district and he gets to know all the staff. He is surprised at how welcoming the students are at OCS. He adds, “Police aren’t viewed in a great light these days so I was worried about how I was going to be perceived but everyone has been really nice.” When asked what’s the best part of his job, he says getting to meet all the students and staff. He is excited to start this new chapter in his life. He stresses how nice it is that he gets to know everybody better.
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