by Rylee Cowie
Peter Vacchina has been teaching for 37 years total, with six years in California and 14 years abroad in Italy, Belgium, England, Mexico, and Brazil. For the past 17 years he has taught three chemistry courses at Hudson High School. At the end of this school year, Vacchina will be retiring.
Surprisingly, a science teacher was never something that Vacchina thought he would become. At a young age, he worked in the machine shop at General Electric. After he finished college, Vacchina moved into teaching by becoming a substitute teacher. At first, he taught almost every subject before falling in love with the idea of teaching chemistry to high school students.
Vacchina remarks that he enjoys the hands-on aspect of chemistry. He believes that the students will not only have more fun while learning, but he will also have more fun teaching his class.
He will leave behind many memories at Hudson High School that he will treasure forever. Among the most memorable are some of the trips he has been on. “I’ve taken students on two-week expeditions to the Pantanal of Brazil, which were the greatest trips ever.”
The Pantanal of Brazil is the biggest wetlands in the world. On this two-week trip, students worked on field research with scientists. Vacchina and his students had to pay their own way to give money to the scientists for their research, but they also were paying for the unforgettable experience.
Even though he got to do amazing things, he still faced many challenges in his 37 years of teaching.
His biggest challenges have been meeting the needs of his students. He explains that every student has different needs while learning. But, he will miss each and every student he has ever taught.
“I’ll miss the interactions with students. I love teaching because I enjoy the academic atmosphere. Education can sometimes be burdensome, but once you get into a classroom with students, it’s a joy.”
Many teachers and students throughout the school have been reminiscing on their amazing times with Vacchina following his retirement announcement.
Anatomy teacher Mike Nanartowich has grown very close to Vacchina over his many years at Hudson High School.
“I will miss his smile,” Nanartowich said. “Every morning I walk by his classroom and say ‘Pete!’, and he goes, ‘Hi Mike!’ So, I will miss that little exchange.”
But, they have also had good times together outside of school.
“I traveled to Brazil with Peter, and he wouldn’t let me into the room unless I gave him the room number in Portuguese, which resulted in us being locked outside for a little bit. People don’t know Mr. Vacchina’s dry sense of humor like I do,” Nanartowich said.
“We’ve had some great times together. I’m gonna miss Pete a lot,” he remarks.
Fellow teachers are not the only ones that will miss Vacchina.
Sophomore Hannah Farrell takes Honors Chemistry with Vacchina and remarks that it will be sad not seeing him around the hallways next year. She will also miss his sense of humor that everyone seemed to love.
“He’s always joking and making funny sound effects,” Farrell says.
Not only is he a great teacher, he was also known for bringing laughter to his classrooms. One of Farrell’s favorite memories with Vacchina was when he was doing a demonstration to the class, and none of them seemed to work. “It ended with shredded balloons and a small fire,” remarks Farrell, laughing.
Though he will miss teaching he is really looking forward to retiring. “It seems like a good opportunity to try something else, like art or sculptures. I enjoy carving stone as well, so that’s what I’m looking forward to right now.” He is currently working on a project making busts of each of his five grandchildren, but he has only finished three so far.
He also plans to spend time with his family in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
Although everyone in Hudson will miss him, Vacchina has made a lasting impact on this school.
