Each morning before students arrive, social studies teacher Joe Nalezinski is already there, sipping his coffee and reading the news.

As students begin to fill the school, he steps into the hallway to make sure he says his daily “Good morning” to students passing by. Echoes of “Hey Nalz” reflect the connections he builds with students, which carry into the classroom.

Through these brief but intentional greetings, Nalezinski sets the tone for the day, aiming to connect with each student before class begins.

“I can gauge students’ moods before class and make the necessary potential adjustments to the day’s lessons,” Nalezinski said. “Plus, it makes the hallway an extension of the classroom and improves the well-being of the school.”

He also keeps a watchful eye on the area near his classroom, which is located just outside the lower 600s bathrooms.

“A teacher’s presence can prevent tomfoolery and shenanigans in that area,” Nalezinski said.

It has been 26 years since Nalezinski first stepped into the LHS building, and his spark is still as bright as the first day he arrived at Londonderry. While he never imagined that he would be teaching as a kid, that all changed once he met his history teacher, Mr. Burnham. 

“One day I looked at [him] and thought, he loves what he does and he makes it seem so simple,” Nalezinski said. “I could do that. He made history class enjoyable and fun. I personally learned so much from his class.”

Burnham’s class inspired Nalezinski to pursue teaching, and he has carried that passion through decades in the classroom. He taught world studies alongside social studies teacher Joe McCune for over 20 years. Although McCune has since moved to North Carolina, they still keep in touch.

“Working along with Nalz was such a great experience,” McCune said. “He cares about the subject, but really understands that it is about the relationships and the people that help lessons to have meaning. I love how he has a big heart.”

Some of the most meaningful teaching moments, McCune said, came from shared experiences outside the classroom with students and fellow teachers. During a world studies field trip, McCune and Nalezinski hiked with students to the top of Pine Mountain, where they were met with the “twilight of the setting sun.”

“Everything was perfect,” McCune said. “A wave of gratitude flowed through me that I was in the exact right place with the best people.” 

Students also notice the impact Nalzenski has on their classroom experiences. Senior Owen Dembskoski recalled one particularly “funny” moment in Nalezinski’s Law and Mock Trial class.

“One day, during a mock trial, the defendant, Will Grundy, was on the stand being questioned by his lawyers,” Dembkoski said. “He was asked where he was the night the victim was killed, and his response was ‘The night of the murder?’”

Dembskoski said it was one of the “funniest things” he had ever seen at school. 

“He just admitted to murder right on the stand,” Dembkoski said. “That trial ended quickly after for obvious reasons.”

Besides Law and Mock Trial and World Studies, Nalezinski also teaches a variety of rotating courses, including U.S. History. 

 “Every period is my favorite class,” Nalezinski said. “When I’m with them, those students are my priority. I give them everything I’ve got.”

That commitment to making the most of each day has taken on new meaning for Nalezinski after having open-heart surgery and then a heart attack two years later. 

“The last couple of years I’ve had some health scares, which makes me realize how important it is, just getting up in the morning,” Nalezinski said. “Those scares force a person to appreciate how special life is. I look out my window, and I see the sun rising, and I hear the birds chirping, and I just realize how lucky we really are and how short our time is here.”