While West Sylvan Middle School supplies Lincoln High School with the majority of its students, very few teachers make the same transition. None have been hired in the last decade, until this year.

Social Studies teacher Sara Matano and English teacher Maureen Fitzgerald were the two teachers to break this trend. Both taught at West Sylvan: Fitzgerald as the leadership teacher, and Matano as a Spanish teacher.

Although this year is the first year Lincoln staff has hired a West Sylvan teacher in over 10 years, Principal Peyton Chapman hopes to hire more West Sylvan teachers in the future. “They know the community, teachers, and students well. It would make for a seamless transition.”

However, Chapman feels strongly about keeping West Sylvan as a strong middle school, especially since the school is Lincoln’s primary source of incoming freshman.

While there are many differences between middle and high school, Fitzgerald believes that “teaching in the high school setting is more of a challenge for teachers, and it’s a good next step to push yourself.”

During his time at West Sylvan, Sophomore Andrew Parshall had Matano as a Spanish teacher. Now, he has her again for Modern World History. He believes that Matano expects more from her students at Lincoln, but still remains the same forgiving teacher she was when she taught at West Sylvan. He added that having teachers at Lincoln from West Sylvan is a good thing.