February 1, 2023 at 12:41 a.m.
‘EDUCATION IS THE FUTURE’
‘EDUCATION IS THE FUTURE’
The lifelong Catholic, who grew up in Burnt Hills, has degrees in history, teaching and educational leadership and played soccer in college. She began her career teaching at the Lawrence School in Brookline, Mass., before moving to Miami for a job at Mater Lakes Academy, a charter school. From there, she moved back home for a position at Green Tech High School. She has been a teacher, an athletic program administrator, coach and has experience with children with special educational needs.
If that doesn’t wow you enough, with her dad born in Ukraine and her husband, Carlos, born in Honduras, she brings a nuanced perspective to the diverse student population.
“I think that kids deserve to see themselves in the people that are educating them. It is a huge trust builder for relationships and that is such a huge component in education and if we can establish that as the status quo in some of the lower grades that will carry over into the high schools,” Morazan said. “My experience is entirely in urban education and I absolutely love the diversity that that brings and I am very excited about smaller class sizes and bringing some of the experiences that I have had and making sure that we are reaching all of the kids at their levels in order to help close learning gaps and increase our standards.”
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She is also excited about the ability to be more vocal in her Catholic faith, which, along with education, were the two key tenants in her upbringing. Her dad, Jaroslaw Leszczynsky, is Byzantine Catholic and her mother, Faith, and her two sisters, Colleen and Yelena, both attend the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Glenville. And her son, Xavier, is a student at St. Mary’s School in Waterford.
“With my dad immigrating to the United States, my grandparents only had a third- and fourth-grade education and girls really were not well educated in the Eastern Bloc countries,” Morazan said. “It was always driven home to me that education is the future, you have to go to school, teach somebody, learn something. I found a real love of learning and with that I wanted to expand that to other people. I think there is no greater profession than teaching.”
When she worked at Green Tech, she began to think that maybe that job was not right for her.
“I began at Green Tech and when I came up it was right before COVID hit and we were transferring from out of state and I loved the charter school system in Florida. It is very different than it is here,” Morazan said. “I was little surprised by some of the differences and the moral and ethical standards that people held themselves to and I found myself really not necessarily aligning with some of the missions and visions.
“As I have re-envisioned my own career and future, I really took stock of the moral and ethical standard that some of the Catholic schools around here have for their students and that’s what I gravitate toward. So then this opportunity arose and I felt like it was the right move for myself and my family.”
She will be joined in her faith journey by Father Dan Quinn, pastor at Blessed Sacrament Church, and Deacon Gerald Ladouceur, who also acts as a substitute at the school.
“I think there’s a lot lost (on the concept of) help thy neighbor and by bringing that into this school at such a young age with a pre-K to eighth grade, we can really make that a way of life rather than the exception.
“At a public school, you are very limited at what you can teach in terms of history or even history of religion where here you can take a very direct approach at a Catholic school.
“I love the environment. I think it is so supportive for the students and the families. It was amazing to see so many parents, whether it was drop off or pickup. They have a school grandmother; everybody is there to support the students and the staff and I don’t feel like that is something that you get in most public schools anymore. The benefit to the students is just so incredible.”
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