Woodland started as an empty building with unfinished classrooms and lonely staircases. Around sixty staff members and two underclassman grades were the heart of the school. Teachers had to build the school from the ground up: add new curriculum, create traditions, and start school programs.

“I remember walking into the school for the first time,” said Mark Dandelske, a counselor at the school. “There were no walls, just the base.”

When he walked into the school for the first time, Dandelske saw potential. He knew something great would come out of the school. Other faculty members who are still teaching at Woodland started at the school twenty years ago and share the same belief as Dandelske.

“I saw the building as it was being built. I walked up the staircase with no tile on the floor or no railing. There was just this empty staircase,” said Jill Blasi, the science department chair. “But I walked up to Room 303, saw the room, and knew it was mine.”

Blasi teaches Advanced Placement biology, Early College Experience environmental science, astronomy, marine science, natural disasters, and zoology, all of which she introduced to the school when it first opened.

Making the classes, electives and traditions was Blasi’s favorite part of creating a new school. Traditions she loves include the Woodland rock, the pep-rally screaming match, the spirit shovel, and handing diplomas to advisory students.

Advisory was new to Blasi when she came to Woodland. A program that occurs every day for twenty minutes, advisory allows students and staff to grow a relationship with each other, so every student feels welcome into high school. That tradition is important to Blasi.

“This is my sixth advisory,” said Blasi. “You kind of hold your breath for the first week and think what kind of group of kids am I going to get. Are they going to get along? Are you going to have kids who are fresh? Are you going to have kids who are cooperative?”

Advisory was not the only new experience Blasi had. When the original staff first met in the district office, they needed to make a completely new curriculum.

“[Arnold Frank, the original principal,] was the right guy at the right time,” said Christopher Misuraca, an original fine arts teacher.

Frank was able to get all his staff together and form a community in order to create a curriculum that will stay effective for many years. Frank was known to encourage his staff to try everything they thought would benefit the school. Making the school unique was one goal the staff had to conquer.

“I think the school changed a lot under the new administration,” said Laura Blaho, a lunch aide.

When Frank was the principal at the school, there seemed to be more rules in place that were beneficial to the growing community. He also wanted to make sure he hired the right staff, so everyone could learn and advance off of each other.

“They hired teachers at all different stages of their career,” said Madalena Warren, a world language teacher. “It brought an interesting and diverse perspective to the way the school’s culture would develop.”

In order to inform the community of the cultural developments, Frank wanted a school newspaper.

“The biggest program I have added at Woodland was the journalism program,” says James Amato, the Hawk Headlines advisor.

Amato had to teach freshmen and sophomores all about the world of journalism. The first newspaper headline stated, “Welcome to the Woods.” The program has grown from a small staff of students to now a group of up to eighty students per year.

With all of its programs and classes, Woodland could not stand without a financial advisor or someone managing disciplinary information.

“When I first got here, I was going to be the person that was going to input the purchase orders and take care of the students’ activities,” said Sheree Cherry, the financial advisor. “I had no safe for the money. I had no checkbook.”

Money and discipline has been under Cherry’s watchful eye since her first day.

“All the financial stuff, all the book keeping, and the input for the discipline [have been my only jobs,]” said Cherry.

Cherry’s job is especially important because she has to send money information and student disciplinary records to the state of Connecticut. Cherry has worked closely with the school principal for years to make sure that everything is running smoothly. About two-thirds of the year is working on financial situations and the other one-third is disciplinary inputs. The job was essentially made for her. This way, she was comfortable with the program and the little tasks branched to it.

Although the financial department has not changed much, the Library Media Center has changed in ways no one would imagine.

“When I walked [into the library], every shelf was empty,” said Kathryn Smith, the librarian aide.

Adding books to the shelfs and unboxing computer systems was one thing Smith needed to do when opening the school library. The technology around the school increased over the years. Very minimal electrics were in the school the first week.

“The school is always changing,” said Smith. “I learn something new every day.”

In order to keep all of Woodland’s changes in order, the school has had the same wonderful secretaries to the job over the years. June Rydzik and Deborah Betkoski have continued to manage the main office. Memories from the last twenty years flood both of their minds.

“One year, we did Cool Schools. Staff and students got to the school at like four in the morning to prepare for WFSB,” said Rydzik. “We all came together that morning.”

Along with WFSB’s segment, Rydzik has enjoyed watching students go from freshman to graduating. Because watching the students graduate is such a monumental moment for Rydzik, Woodland has become a second home for her. She enjoys meeting new students and getting to know them better as they advance in their Woodland careers. Betkoski can also say the same as she enjoys learning information about the students and creating relationships with them.

“The kids are great,” said Betkoski. “They always come in happy with a great big smile, willing to do whatever needs to be done when you ask them.”

Betkoski loves the students at the school. Even though she did not know if she would be here for the last twenty years, the students helped her stay. Their positive energy entertains her every day. Not only is Betkoski enlightened by their positive attitudes but also are other teachers around the building. Staff members encourage this behavior by rewarding students with activities, such as sport teams.

“I was the first and only softball coach,” said Loren Luddy, the world language department chair. “I started the soccer teams, as well.”

One of Luddy’s favorite memories is assisting her teams win their first couple NVL championships.

Luddy is not the only staff member who wanted to be a coach when they first started. Amato was the original volleyball assistant coach and took over the job as head coach. Athletics at Woodland were small back in 2001 and grew massively with the help of staff and students.

“You surround yourself with positive people, you receive positive rewards,” said Amato.

The positive energy was rumored to have been because the school was so small; however, as more students came into the school, more teachers and other faculty had to be hired. As this transition took place, the positivity around the building stayed intact. Krystle Kelly came to Woodland after it had been in place for two years.

“Woodland is a place where everyone knows your name,” said Kelly, a math teacher.

Even though she missed the first two years, Kelly assisted in starting the math lab and creating the National Math Honor Society. She has taught every math class, except pre-calculus honors and Advanced Placement statistics, and been both a softball and volleyball coach. There was still so much that could be added and adapted for the school. Kelly has watched the school grow over the past eighteen years and is proud of how far it has come.

“As we have grown up, we have added to original ideas,” said Kelly. “As a group, we made improvements so students can benefit from them.”

Even though thirteen teachers have stayed at Woodland since September of 2001 and many more have come, multiple teachers have moved on to other adventures; however, they still cherish the time they spent at the high school.

“There was a sense of community with Woodland,” said Jennie Batista, a former practical arts teacher who left Woodland in 2007. “The school was unlike any other place I have or will ever work.”

Most teachers that have left Woodland agree that there was a strong beginning, which they would carry through with them the rest of their lives.

“Creating Woodland was empowering,” said Lisa Olivere, a former English teacher who left Woodland in 2020.

Olivere’s empowerment definitely showed through when she helped start Woodland Worldwide, originally Woodland for Women, and when she became an English department chair.

Establishing the curriculum and making traditions taught the faculty they could accomplish anything. Each of the original staff members brought something different to the school. Every idea benefited the environment and culture Woodland was growing. In 2001, there was a new, exciting sense of life that felt special for all the people involved.

“It was amazing, but with that said it was the hardest I have worked in my entire career,” says Michele Papa, a former English teacher who left Woodland in 2019. “I mean we had nothing. We did not even have a building.”

Because there was no building, the first faculty meeting was held at Laurel Ledge Elementary School. This situation was like no other for the staff. Those who were involved in creating the school were involved in an experience which they grew from and created relationships around.

“Walking the hallways and seeing people I have known for decades, it was like coming home,” said Papa. “There is something special about Woodland.”