by Elisha Soleil Ladi, senior
This year, Mr. Anelli joined Richmond Hill High School’s Mathematics Department as a new Computer Science teacher.
Mr. Anelli has always been interested in mathematics, computers, and teaching. “I initially got my bachelor’s in math,” he said. “So the goal is to build off that, get my master’s and Ph.D. in math, and become a professor.”
Mr. Anelli spent his early years getting a bachelor's degree in mathematics at SUNY New Paltz. Following his graduation, Mr. Anelli decided to further explore the mathematics field and applied for one semester at SUNY Binghamton to get his masters in statistics.
However, it was at this point that Mr. Anelli realized that he wanted to apply his knowledge of mathematics toward pursuing his passion for teaching instead. “I decided to [transition] into teaching where I wanted to be,” he recalled, kickstarting his teaching career with substitute teaching at The Harvey School after finishing his initial semester. He then decided to take the Masters of Arts in Teaching at SUNY New Paltz, which led to a teaching job in a Westchester County private school for a year and a half.
In December of 2023, Mr. Anelli learned of a spot at RHHS and took hold of the opportunity. With his background in teaching smaller groups in private school, he described how teaching larger classes is a new experience for him. His goal for every class is to ensure that every student receives the same care/level of instruction and understands the lessons.
Mr. Anelli’s position at RHHS also ties in with some of his passions outside of teaching. He said, “during the summer last quarantine, I started to build up and set up a computer.” Besides his interest in mathematics and computer science, Mr. Anelli also nurtures his love for music - his preferred instrument being the guitar.
One of his students in Introduction to Computer Science, Kelvin Bello Mejia, a junior, stated that Mr. Anelli has been really helpful in providing handouts and by teaching visually. “He provides slideshows and a paper, so that way, students without a computer at home can still do the work even at home.”
Junior Jose Concepcion added that he is interested in computer science and Mr. Anelli has helped him gain more knowledge about computer science by making the lessons accessible and easy to understand. “He simplifies the work by giving out examples and presentations that can help the students in his class to be more interested in the field of computer science,” he said.
Mr. Anelli has quickly made an impact at the RHHS community as he was able to incorporate his interests and passions into his teaching.