Mr. Wuest is one of the school’s most overqualified teachers and perhaps a teacher that makes the biggest impact on the school.
Wuest attended college at the University of Rochester majoring in Biomedical Engineering after receiving the Bauch and Lomb scholarship from his high school in Long Island for being the top Junior in Math and Science.
Wuest decided to enroll as an engineer thinking he would want to be an engineer but that changed. “My professors didn’t motivate me, it was too theoretical, it wasn’t hands-on at all”
After taking a mandatory coding course in his sophomore year of college, it sparked an interest in Wuest. After completing his degree in Biomedical Engineering and a master’s in Applied Mathematics, Wuest entered the workforce as a teacher. Wuest originally sought a job at Jericho High School where his dad taught but after they had no openings he accepted a position at Garden City High School close by on Long Island.
Wuest grew up with two teachers as parents, which greatly impacted his career pathway. “I loved [my dad’s] lifestyle, he coached soccer, wrestling, and golf. And I just wanted to follow in his footsteps.”
This change from Biomedical Engineer to Teacher proved to be one that many Victor students would be grateful for. Computer Science is one of the school’s most popular electives and the man behind it all is Wuest. “Computer Science was nonexistent, they wanted to get rid of it when I started here.” Wuest has formed an amazing program at Victor sending 50% of students into college as computer science majors and on average 50% of AP students receiving 5s on their exams.
Wuest is always making changes to the curriculum and as a one-man department, he is able to do that frequently. “It’s me that’s improved…the students have always been the same, they love it and are motivated to be here.” Wuest takes input from his students and tries to teach the same content better and better every year. This is, in large part, one of the reasons his students do so well on the AP Exam.
The other main reason is the work that is put in before the students even sign up for the test in Computer Science 1 and 2. Whereas most schools send their students directly to the lion’s den of AP Computer Science, Wuest, and Victor make students take Computer Science 1 and 2 where he is able to teach the basics without rushing through it. This also allows the students to learn other things that may not be on the exam but lets them be creative and make a project that they can be proud of.
Another addition that Wuest has made is the creation of Coding Club. At the base of Coding Club is giving back and that is reflected through the club making a trip down to the primary school to teach 3rd graders how to code. This trip is planned for December when nationwide the week of code is celebrated.
In addition, Wuest plans to bring in guest speakers, cultivate large group projects within the club, start coding competitions, and create opportunities for women in Computer Science.
At the core of Wuest’s teaching philosophy is one word – fun. “School should still be fun every day and students as they get older lose that fun in life…You can be successful and have fun at the same time… You can have fun in class and still learn a lot.”
One of the main shifts in Wuest’s life came with the birth of his children.“It’s not about me anymore, it’s always them first, and then me second.”
As his kids have grown up he saw how they enjoy going to school and how they have fun in sports. Wuest wonders when kids begin to lose this idea of fun and start focusing on grades and results.
Wuest is a father of three, Madison, Lucas, and the youngest Mackenzie anchors Wuest’s life and puts a lot of things into perspective for Wuest.
Wuest tries to eliminate the point of no return when life becomes serious and you face immense pressure. This is reflected in the everyday actions of Wuest and his classroom environment as a whole.
Anyone who walks into Wuest’s room will immediately notice the poll on the whiteboard along with the infamous Struggle Bus. The bus originated with students Jeff Gerbasi and Hobey Filer in 2017 joking about the Struggle Bus and drawing themselves on the Struggle Bus.
Whether it be a misspelling of a word, thinking you could receive half points on the AP Exam, or falling for a Joe Mama joke there are many ways for students to rack up tickets on the Struggle Bus. The culmination of the Struggle Bus is the annual award of Struggler of the Year, some of the past recipients include Ryan Fronczak and Max Pitts whose pictures with Wuest and their official ticket on the bus can be found on the Wuest Wall of Fame.
The polls were a more recent addition to the mix as a couple of years ago Wuest put up a poll on the board and tallied votes from students by having them put tally marks on the board. It has since evolved into a new question every other day receiving sometimes over 70 votes from various different students and sometimes even Mr. Siesto.
The idea of fun in Wuest’s class has organically created many different ways to make his classes about more than just Computer Science. That’s what I appreciate about Wuest and what I believe makes him a great teacher. As someone who has had Wuest for multiple years all of which are in first-block classes, there isn’t any other way I would want to start my day than with a class with Wuest.
Through this outlet of fun and Computer Science Wuest is able to teach about much more than just the Xs and O’s of coding which is why I believe he is one of the best teachers here at Victor Senior High.
