Interview with Mr. Gunnell 

by Shayna Langer

 

 

SL:  How did you discover Westchester Hebrew High School?

MG:  Through a friend—I went to college with Ms. Skalaski.  She got a hold of me last year when Mr. Margolies was out, and I substituted for a few weeks.  I really enjoyed teaching here, and now here I am.

 

SL:  Where did you work before you came here?

MG:  I’ve been teaching physics at Harrison for five years, and I still work there during the day.  I also worked at the dining hall in college, where I sometimes did catering for campus events.

 

SL:  When did you know you wanted to teach physics, and why?

MG:  I knew after my first year of college, because I hated chemistry.  I was originally a chemistry major, but I switched my major to physics because of a really influential physics professor that I had.

 

SL:  What is your favorite pastime?

MG:  It depends on the season.  In the winter, I like to go skiing in Hunter, Windham, and Vermont.  As soon as it gets warm out, I go biking, running, and motorcycling.  I used to have a really cool motorcycle, but now I just have a regular bike.   

 

SL:  What is your favorite iPhone app?

MG:  Angry Birds Star Wars.

 

SL:  What slang word do you use a lot?

MG:  “DC chillin’” and “mad fresh bro.”  

 

SL:  What is the coolest place you have been to?

MG:  I went mountain hiking in Arizona once which was really awesome.  I also went to a techno/house music club in Toronto where Benny Benassi was DJing.  

SL:  What is a random fact about you?

MG:  I love to bake.  I make really good chocolate chip cookies, but I pretty much enjoy making any desserts.  I went through a phase where I was really into decorating cakes.  

 

SL:  What is your favorite place to shop?

MG:  In terms of food - Wegmans grocery store/café.  But for clothing, my favorite place is Express.

 

SL:  Tell us about your cats!

MG:  I have three cats.  Socrates is Siamese, Ninja is a plain old tabby, and Chunker is Persian.  A funny thing about them is that they only drink water out of the bathtub, so I have to run the shower and let them lick the water from the tub.

 

Thank you, Mr. Gunnell, for your time, and we are so happy that you joined the WHHS family!

. . .