Teachers who do cool things

Here at Dougherty, not only do we have a student body filled with diverse talents and passions, our faculty sets the bar for all teachers throughout the state as well. Each and every one of our teachers has something special (besides grading papers) that they put their mind to. Mr. Fruzzetti, a math teacher, has a knack for inventing things. We made a visit to the 3000 building to get a better look at all of his concoctions. He gave us the complete story of how his inventions came to be and why he made them.

“Four years ago when I joined the staff, Dr. Reimann was really interested in the technology stuff. I let him that know that I knew a lot about technology and I had a lot a experience, and he started asking me about 3D printers. He said ‘do you think you could build one?’.” Aside, he added, “of course I can build one.” He then continued by saying “It took me 25 hours to assemble and 5 hours to make it work right.” I then went on to ask him about his famous “F-ray” and its function. “It emits microwave rays at 2.54 GHz. So far we’ve melted a water bottle and etched the heck out of a CD.” After that, he presented to us a prototype made by a few of his students at their weekend ‘Hackathon’, where they essentially hacked common everyday objects, by turning them into other objects. If you stopped by his room, you would be able to see his 3D printer. He’s also a wiz at hacking. When we asked Ms. Pike, our librarian which activities she partakes in outside of school hours she stated, “I make jewelry…I’m pretty good at it.” English teacher, Ms. McCombs stated that she enjoys gourd art. And last but not least, Mr. Jackson, a statistics and geometry teacher said, “I don’t drink wine often, but I enjoy the production and the chemistry involved in the process.”

It is imperative that we all devote extra hours of time doing things that we enjoy. Whether it’s something hardcore like surfing, or just something that brings you and your friends together, like a book club— it’s important. Sometimes its something that helps you stay grounded or gives you peace of mind. Some are big and some are small, but each is special in its own way. What’s yours?