Gennarino Conzemius

As you may already know, we have a new addition to our teaching staff and the Central Catholic community: Walter Nogay. Mr. Nogay is the new Physics teacher for juniors and seniors enrolled in the 0441 course. I met with Walter to let him tell Central a little bit about himself in an interview.

First off, tell me a little about yourself and your background.

“Well, I grew up in Pittsburgh and attended Sewickley academy throughout high school. For my undergraduate degree, I went to Notre dame. Notre dame was life changing for me through faith. I was not born into a religious family, so being involved with the Church was new to me. My wife, girlfriend at the time, was a devout Catholic so we would go to mass together which made me grow to enjoy the faith. I’ve always wanted to help others through teaching. I went to George Washington for my master degree while my wife studied at Georgetown, both located in D.C.. After graduate school, I taught in D.C. for 3 years. I eventually moved backed to Pittsburgh in hopes to start a family.”

What made you want to teach physics?

 “The first instance of when I thought I could be a Physics teacher was in high school during peer tutoring sessions with other students. I always enjoyed sharing my knowledge and helping others understand rather difficult topics. At Notre Dame, I worked at a planetarium and enjoyed interesting others in certain subjects through teaching and short movies.”

What brought you to central?

 “The most important factor was definitely the foundation of faith that Central is based on. It was really important for me at Notre Dame so I realized it would be a good fit for me. I really like knowing that I can help people through teaching and that was really important to me as well.”

What are you anticipating the most this upcoming year?

 “Finding how I fit in and can contribute to the brotherhood of Central. I’d also like to bring in skills and ideas to my lessons and in general.”

What’s your favorite part about Central so far?

“I really appreciate the brotherhood here. All of my students really know each other and are friends. I didn’t see that when I was teaching at a big public school in D.C..”

Are you involved in any clubs or activities at Central?

 “ Yes, I signed up to help moderate the chess club. I eventually hope to give the opportunity to teach and have other students learn to play chess because of the beneficial skills that come from learning the game.”

What do you like to do outside of the classroom?

 “As a hobby, I like to build and paint models, especially Warhammer models. They’re based in a futuristic world of chaos and you can play at various stores where they sell them. Along with that, I also enjoy playing board games. I’m most excited to attend the sporting events at Central. I also used to sing so I’d like to find a choir or singing group at a local church.”

Describe your teaching style.

 “My teaching style is mainly student centered. I want the students to develop the ability to take responsibility with their work. I also want them to not just know, but understand how to do labs and what questions to ask during the labs. Most of all, I want them to develop good skills in high school to prepare them for college, such as taking good notes and studying affectively.”

What is the one thing you want to work on as a teacher whether it’s a weakness or something else?

“There are so many topics in physics so it’s really hard to cover them all in one year. I’d really like to try new topics in my class and experiment more with the students. I’d like to cover Thermodynamics or magnetism because we never have time to get to those subjects.”

What is your favorite topic to teach either in physics or just in general?

 “My favorite topic has to be Optics. Optics is seen in our daily lives all the time in glasses, the windows, reflections, and eye lenses. If I were to cover this topic in class, I’d make sure to have many hands on labs.”