Teacher Feature

Ms. Nugent is an English teacher at New Hartford Senior High School. She teaches English 10 Honors and AP Literature for seniors- but she is so much more than just her job. 

Ms. Nugent attended high school in her home state of New Jersey where she participated in activities like field hockey, student council and ran track where she ran hurdles and did high jump along with her other hobbies. She went on to attend Virginia Tech for her undergraduate degree and her masters. Ms. Nugent is in her 21st year of teaching. She began her teaching career in Virginia for one year, followed by two years on the island of Crete outside of Greece. After that is when she came to New Hartford and has been here since! Her husband is also an educator; he is a philosophy professor at Suny Morrisville and Hamilton College.

Ms. Nugent’s favorite hobbies outside of the classroom are snowboarding and downhill mountain biking. She uses some of her free time to Mountain bike race with CNY Free riders and is a snowboard instructor at McCully Mountain, she also is the advisor for the Ski and Snowboarding club here at the high school! 

When Ms. Nugent was asked about her teaching career she said very passionately, “I wouldn’t be anything else, I like when students are really enjoying what they are learning. I enjoy seeing them be proud of themselves. I love seeing improvements in writing and creating an environment where students collaborate- seeing them laugh in the groups. I love any time where I see a student make things funny and meaningful!”

Mrs. Clive (Journalism, English 11 and English 12 teacher) and Ms. Nugent have been teaching together since 2004 and they are good friends. When Mrs. Clive was asked about Ms. Nugent she explained, “The first thing that comes to my mind when I think about her is how much passion she has for everything she does. She is passionate about her students, pushing them to grow and giving them tools to be successful while keeping class interesting.” 

When Mrs. Clive was asked about some fun facts that no one would know about Ms. Nugent from just having her in class, she excitedly shared, “She first wanted to study science in college and then switched to English. Her husband also has chickens. They love to cook creative  recipes. She is fun-loving, very kind and caring.”

 I asked two of Ms. Nugent’s students to tell me about their experiences in AP Literature and English 10 Honors.

 “My favorite thing about Ms. Nugent’s class is that she produces assignments that allow students to be creative and have freedom to express themselves in a way that works for all. I would strongly recommend students  sign up for AP Lit next year, especially if they enjoy exploring different literary genres in a collaborative environment where all ideas are welcomed. I had Ms. Nugent my 10th grade year and am very happy to have her again,” said Kate Noonan, a senior currently taking AP Literature.

Sophomore, Julia Peplinski shares a similar view.

 “I enjoy having Ms. Nugent for English this year because she keeps class interesting. Whether it is discussing with peers or her speaking towards the class, we can learn without getting bored. I recommend taking English 10 Honors to future students because it helps you prepare for future AP classes and become a better student overall,” Julia Peplinski, sophomore taking English 10 Honors  said.