Uncovering the Hidden Talents of the Midwood Staff

Mr. Pinsky, Mr. Dudal, Mr. Finn, Mr. Pavone, and Ms. Goodwin are among Midwood’s many musically talented teachers. Photo: Ms. Mardee Goodwin

By MAHNOOR HUSSAIN, ANAIYA SIMEON,  JACOB LOSHINSKY and CHRYSTIE WU

If you hear what sounds like live music coming from the teachers’ lounge, it might just be one of Brooklyn’s newest alternative bands, featuring five of our very own Midwood teachers. There’s musical talent (and a lot more) hiding in these halls. We have staff who draw, sew, craft, sing, and more.

We all know Mr. Saverio Nardone as a dean and the Boys Varsity Baseball coach. But you probably didn't know that he once auditioned for American Idol when he was 18.

“They told me I sounded like I was out of a high school play,” he said. “But I wouldn’t want to become a famous singer because I couldn't take on the pressure. I would choke!”

Dr. David Walters, a calculus teacher, is also a songwriter.

“It just felt natural to me,” he said. “I was trying to figure out what my purpose was. So I prayed about it, and a student came up to me and told me that my gift was music. So then I just started making songs. That is the truth.”

“I just want to encourage any young people, if they have talent, always feed it, always practice, and don't let anybody hold you back,” he said. “Especially when you're young, because when you're older you don't want to feel regret.”

Ms. Mamie Chu, another math teacher, developed a passion for crocheting during quarantine.

“I watched videos on YouTube to learn,” she said. “I learned how to knit a really long time ago, but I started crocheting since I was home all the time and I couldn't go out and see my friends.”

Ms. Chu crochets in her free time and wears her creations to school. Photo: Jacob Loshinsky

Ms. Chu doesn’t sell her pieces, but she does give them to friends and family. “When it's my friend’s birthday or Christmas, I usually just crochet them something,” she said. “I think that it means a lot more than going out to the store and buying some random gift.”

She also gives her creations to those in need. “When we got back from Covid, I made a bunch of blankets for foster kids in the community,” said Ms. Chu. “I hope to do that again sometime.” She hopes to one day have a boutique where she can sell her own scarves, sweaters, and stuffed animals.

A selection of Mr. Kraemer’s drawings. Photo: Mr. Timothy Kraemer

New weight trainer Mr. Timothy Kraemer spends his time out of school drawing and painting. He mostly learned how to draw from his older brother Dan and his sister Jen.

“Creativity was always nurtured in my household,” he said. “Some of [my family members] are very good at drawing, but they’re not professionals. For a while I was embarrassed because I thought [drawing] was dorky, but now that I’m older I’m proud of it.”

Mrs. Natalia Puglisi, a French teacher, worked alongside her grandmother as a seamstress, helping out in her workshop in the late 80s and early 90s. “I didn’t feel like I was good enough compared to my grandma,” she said. “I was just an apprentice. But it’s always been very useful.”

When Mrs. Puglisi was eight years old, she started her first sewing project, a skirt that would take her two full days to make. During middle school, she would make aprons that would take up to four hours to craft. She’s too busy for the hobby now, she said, but would do it as a side job if she had the time.

“I would like for schools to offer more opportunities for kids be active with their hands,” Mrs. Puglisi said. “It would be nice to have a cooking class or a crochet class. Something  they can do with their hands to help them in life.”

Fellow French teacher Ms. Marly Jean Baptiste sews, though she doesn’t have much time for it anymore. Growing up, she loved to sew so much that her sister even sent her a sewing machine when she was living in Haiti. 

“She sent me the machine so I could make little doll clothes,” she said. “When I came up to America, I joined clubs that taught me embroidery.”

Ms. Jean Baptiste went to a fashion high school and almost made designing clothes her profession, applying to FIT (the Fashion Institute of Technology, a SUNY college). “I made a wedding dress and a cocktail dress in high school, but most of the clothes I made got lost in a fire,” she said.

Last but not least, we have several skilled teachers who found an opportunity to combine their talents. With Mr. Jordan Finn on drums, Ms. Mardee Goodwin on vocals, Mr. Joey Pavone and Mr. Max Pinsky on guitar, and Mr. Oleg Dudal on bass, a new alternative rock band is starting to take shape. 

“My whole family sings,” said Ms. Goodwin. “We can just pick up a song and sing it in perfect harmony in five minutes. It’s crazy.” In the band, “I’m just the diva,” she said. “I understand other instruments, so I basically just sing and tell the boys what to do.”

The band is currently covering “Lithium” by Nirvana, which holds sentimental value for Ms. Goodwin. Growing up, she moved around a lot and found herself having to “reinvent” herself throughout each move. She was shy and it took a while to make friends. 

“I’d say, ‘I'm so happy 'cause today I found my friends’ [a line from the song], even if it was only just one friend, somebody to sit with at the lunch table so I didn't have to sit by myself,” said Ms. Goodwin. “That song really means something to me. I grew up with it.”

Like Ms. Goodwin, Mr. Pinsky has been singing since he could talk. “I learned guitar just as a way to accompany myself singing,” he said. “I’ve been interested in music ever since I discovered my grandmother’s record collection when I was about five years old.” 

“My parents always encouraged me,” he said. “They started me out with piano lessons around the age of five or six.”

Still, joining a band with his fellow colleagues was not something that Mr. Pinsky could have ever imagined.

“For years we’ve been joking about starting a band and [Mr. Dudal] was like ‘Let's get together and play these songs’,” Mr. Pinsky said. “The first time we played together, we all looked at each other and said, ‘Oh, we just played a song. That was kinda cool.’”

Mr. Pavone enjoys the collaborative process. “To take a band and try to fit all the different pieces together is like a puzzle,” he said. “To coordinate and have the parts working together is just really fun for me.”

He started playing the guitar around age 20. “I’ve learned a lot of things,” Mr. Pavone said. “I’ve learned not to be a perfectionist and how to compromise. When I first started playing, I would compare myself to masters, and it’d make me feel bad about myself and want to give up.” But now he knows it’s important to “just have fun playing.”

These staff members show that there’s room in life for more than just your profession. Behind every Midwood face, there could be an artist, musician, or craft maker. So what secret talent is your teacher hiding?