Lisa Rotondi, a teacher in the school district since 2011, made the move to Bridgewater-Raritan High School (BRHS) at the start of this school year to serve as the Director of the Choir.
Teaching various grades throughout her career, from pre-K to middle school, Ms. Rotondi was excited for an opportunity to try something different.
Working at Eisenhower Intermediate School for nine years, she learned how each student requires their own set of strengths; she hoped to further her teaching capability by moving to the high school, thinking it would, “be a good shift, professionally”.
From a young age, Ms. Rotondi loved music. Her passion began in her school’s band, where she played flute all throughout middle school and high school. Yet, as she began to explore singing in the later years, she started to form a deep relationship with chorus as well. She gradually fell in love with the personal connections choir allowed her to find, and appreciated the inclusivity: “the instrument was our voice and truly anyone can participate”.
As Ms. Rotondi furthered her career in chorus, her journey led her here, to Bridgewater-Raritan High School where she is now the Director of Choir. She teaches three curricular choirs alongside two honors-level curricular choirs: treble voices and symphonic.
She is, “so excited to see the culmination of the students’ hard work in the Winter Concert on Monday, December 16” as she leads the choruses in over a dozen songs. Following the concert, she looks forward to Parent Visitation Day on January 31 and Broadway Night on February 19, where students will perform songs from comedies and tragedies. In addition to these two events, there are countless more that Ms. Rotondi is excited about.
Outside of the high school, Ms. Rotondi continues her career as a professional freelance musician, through which she works as a soloist and enjoys singing as the center in her Roman Catholic Church.
As she continues her career both outside and inside Bridgewater-Raritan High School, Ms. Rotondi shares a piece of advice for all those wishing to pursue education.
“Anyone who is passionate about a topic should consider teaching that topic. You will be able to live and breathe that topic every day… People say that those who can’t do teach, but that is completely wrong, because to teach, you have to have mastered your topic. You should always feel empowered to be a teacher, because you have the ability to shape the next generation… The world is always looking for good teachers, so never be afraid to try it!” she said.
She hopes that students will always follow their dreams and explore each and every opportunity to the fullest, whether in teaching or anything else.
Ms. Rotondi extends her advice outside of the classroom, explaining how, “one of the best parts about being young is that you have so many opportunities ahead of you. You are young and free to do anything you want – the sky’s the limit… Sometimes, you might feel constrained – that you want more autonomy – but you should enjoy this moment while you can”.
She insists that her students will experience everything they want to for any given reason, doing things and joining activities for fun!
Apart from teaching, Ms. Rotondi enjoys baking, shopping at Wegmans, and relaxing with her family. She has four kids, and though it gets busy, she always loves cuddling with them and watching a show. She is excited to spend time with her family this winter break and spread the joy of music to her students throughout the school year.
