By Samuel Hudson
Image courtesy of my incredible graphic design skills. It is… my passion.
Dr. Mark Ewoldesen, better known as Dr. E, is back on campus! Coming out of retirement for the noble purpose of taking over Dr. Faliero’s chemistry classes, it’s remarkable how a former icon of the campus has returned to save the day when the sophomores need it most.
Dr. Faliero’s absence left behind big shoes to fill. An anonymous sophomore (10) explained that, “I felt very sad [when Dr. Faliero left]. She was one of my favorite teachers because of how kind she was and how fun her class was. Even if I didn’t enjoy chemistry, I enjoyed her presence.”
A surprise to many, Dr. E’s return was unknown to two-thirds of surveyed previous students of Dr. E. One anonymous student said, “I was surprised that he was back on campus,” and another student mentioned, “I’m… excited that he’s teaching again.” Lena Bolotin (12) explained, “I wondered if he was happy to be back on campus or if he would rather still be retired.”
Even current sophomores weren’t made aware of Dr. E’s return until the last minute, and not all reactions were positive. One student reported that, “I practically yelled when I found out. He is not a favorite teacher of mine and I did not particularly like his class.I had him for physics last year; he owned rats and Madagascar cockroaches in his classroom. Funny story, he forgot to check on the rats for a while, and about a month or so later, many of them had died. The incident stunk up the classroom very badly.”
The same student also added that, “He would also make people arm wrestle him if they were not following the rules.”
Overall, previous students described a positive experience while studying under Dr. E. Another anonymous student detailed that, “He was fun and seemed to really care for his students.” Another student recounted that, “It was definitely an interesting experience! His class was very fun and engaging, and the people in it made it even better. He especially had fun field trips for APES and memorable labs.” Lena added that, “It was mostly independent study in class but, to be honest, it went better than most of my AP classes.”
Dr. E’s class last year was nothing if not memorable. One student detailed that, “He taught us self defense during class one time,” while another described, “All of the stories he told us about his past students were interesting. Dr. E does care for his students and wishes the best for them! He is a little strange at some times, but in a good way.”
One of those strange times must have been one particular time during Halloween, as Lena described, where he dressed up as a bog monster!
Once students had gotten to know Dr. E, the sophmores have become more comfortable with him as a person, whether they like it or not. One student described that they are, “not a fan of him, but he talks a lot about his wrestling career so that’s… interesting.”
We’re very lucky to have Dr. E back on campus, and we very much appreciate his interruption in retirement!
