Welcome, teachers! Rochester High School continues to have a great learning foundation for students. This year, we have the honor of welcoming more teachers and counselors to the Falcon family. As our family grows, so do we. The teachers at our school inspire and motivate our students to be their best selves. 

Starting with Mr. Skelcy, an RHS alumni, this is his first official year teaching at Rochester High School. Mr. Skelcy teaches various subjects, including personal finance, economics, and U.S. History, which he says he originally wanted to teach. Mr. Skelcy says that wanting to be a teacher has been “a very recent thought,” saying that he took one education course in college, which inspired him to change from anthropology to teaching. Mr. Skelcy expresses that a significant goal of his is to be able to help his students find their individuality. “I want students to walk out of my class with a tangible idea of who they are and their place in the world and society.”  

We are also thrilled to welcome back Mrs. Baljet at Rochester High School. Mrs. Baljet has taught at various schools throughout her 13 years of teaching. She teaches multiple subjects, including language arts, STEM, and multimedia. Mrs. Baljet says she has wanted to be a teacher since third grade. Looking back on her childhood, she says, “We had to do a project where we said what we wanted to be, and I was like, I’m gonna be a mom and a teacher! I’m the oldest of three sisters and was constantly at home playing school. I was always in charge since I was the oldest.” Mrs. Baljet has always had a deep passion for teaching and uses it to help students grow.

This year, we have gained an incredible new counselor, Katie Martin. Last year, Ms. Martin was working at Troy Athens High School for her first year as a substitute teacher. Troy Athens was also her former rival from when she was a student at Troy High School. This year, she’s the counselor for the H-Lei last names at RHS. Ms. Martin says that her main goal is “That they have a safe person and that they have a safe spot to go to. I feel like in high school, there’s so many things happening, also knowing that they have someone who’s listening to them, who won’t judge them, and they’re safe in here. I think that would be the number one goal, you’ve got your one person who you can talk to, and I can do that for you if you’re comfortable with me.” Ms. Martin focuses on creating a comfortable environment for students to feel safe. 

We are so happy to introduce these excellent teachers and counselors and excited to show off more throughout the year. Rochester High School and its teachers provide a path for students to succeed and excel throughout their lives. We are pleased to welcome our new staff and continue to learn and appreciate them as they join our Falcon Family.