Each year, Pascack Hills welcomes new faces to its halls, including freshman, transfer students, and teachers. This year, PHHS is proud to welcome Miss Runge to the math department. We all know what it is like to be a student. But what is it like to be a new teacher? Here is the inside scoop.

Less than fifteen minutes away from Hills, Miss Runge grew up in Closter, New Jersey and attended Northern Valley Demarest High School. Her favorite classes in high school were algebra, which sparked her love for and interest in math, and a class called Project Adventure, a twist on physical education in which students can enjoy non-traditional gym activities, such as rock climbing. Like many students at PHHS, Runge was a student athlete at Demarest, playing volleyball, basketball, and softball. She went on to play Division III volleyball at Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts, where she majored in secondary education and mathematics with a minor in coaching.

Students often question what made their teachers choose to take on a teaching profession. When asked why she wanted to become a teacher, Miss Runge said that some of her own teachers had inspired her and made her want to teach math in a different and less traditional way. Unsure of what originally attracted her to Pascack Hills, she responded, “I didn’t initially know what I was getting into, but I knew the school from being around here and heard good things.” Runge described Hills as a welcoming and comfortable place. Today she calls Hills “home”.

Although she is now a full time teacher, she began her teaching career at Hills as Mrs. Bucco’s fill-in. She described her students as very accepting toward having a new teacher come in which made the class more enjoyable for her.  

Now that Miss Runge is a full-time teacher at Pascack Hills, her goal is to make math as real life as possible and to help students become independent while dealing with math in their daily lives. As of now, you can find Miss Runge in room 248 or room 250 during the day or in the gym coaching volleyball for the fall season.