By: Braden Boudoin

Sarah Connolly

Sarah Connolly has been teaching for 25 years. This is her second year teaching English at Warren Area High School. She previously taught at Sheffield for 19 years, and four years at Youngsville before that.

Connolly said she originally wanted to be a physical therapist when she went to college, but she realized that biology was not her friend. She switched to English and took a children’s literature class with the education department. Connolly said her head teacher convinced her to take a teaching class that got her into the classroom, and she loved it.

Connolly’s inspiration for anything in her life is her family, she said. “Be who you are and say what you feel,” Connolly advises students, “because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter, don’t mind.”

Leesa Lutton

This is Leesa Lutton’s second year teaching at Warren Area High School. She has been teaching for 18 years. This year, she teaches math.

Lutton said she became a teacher because she wanted to help students. Her favorite subject in school growing up was math. Her least favorite subject was history. Some things Lutton said she likes to do in her free time include reading, running, and going to concerts.

Caroline Rioux

Caroline Rioux is a new physical education and health teacher at Warren Area High School this year. Rioux wanted to be a teacher when she was eight years old, and committed to teaching when she was 24. Both of her parents were teachers, she grew up around teachers, and she said her favorite teacher died when she was younger. She worked with people on brain health before coming to work at WAHS.

One thing Rioux said she wants students to know is that you only grow under pressure. “Love many, trust few, and always paddle your canoe,” she said, using a variation of a popular saying from the 1850s that encourages independent thinking.

Tyler West

This is Tyler West’s second year teaching Spanish at Warren Area High School. He started last year as a longterm substitute teacher. He said he became a teacher because he likes helping people, likes watching them learn, and he said he enjoys having the summer off. West’s inspiration for wanting to become a teacher was his Spanish teacher growing up.

“Life advice,” West said is, “Be as nice as possible, and overall, be yourself. Don’t be afraid to do what makes you happy.”