HUMANS of GRANBY

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By Emma Smith
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Rosemary Wolcott

Rosemary Walcott
Age 68
English teacher 20 years, currently retired. Consultant- HS Sr. college application essays
Tell us about your dreams…
A recurring dream comes to me in September. It is the first day of school and I am assigned to teach a subject I have no background in for five periods a day to classes of 28+ students. There are no textbooks and the technology in the room is not working.
My dreams for the future are that my children’s and grandchildren’s generation will have the benefit of scientific and research advances such that there will be no such thing as cancer survivors. Cancer itself will have been eradicated.
Your passions…
My number one passion is my grandchildren. I spend a lot of time caring for two grandchildren and am now totally familiar with ballet, karate and youth soccer. I try to see my upstate NY grandchildren every other month. I am glad to have a new set of younger intergenerational friendships with the parents of children at my grandkid’s activities.
Teaching has been my lifelong passion and I currently volunteer in my grandchildren’s classrooms.
Tell about an experience you had when teaching…
I have always been basically conservative in my appearance and drawn to intellectual pursuits. While working as a high school teacher we were encouraged to dress up for Halloween. One year I gave money to some of my students so that they could purchase items and create a costume for me. A young man had a motorcycle so he lent me his black leather jacket and helmet. The girls brought me fishnet stockings, fake nose rings and large hoop earrings. One girl painted my nails black, think I wore boots. Garishly colored red lipstick sealed the look. To this day I wish I had a photo of my principal’s face that Halloween morning.
I still keep in touch with many of my former students on Facebook and through emails. It has been such a pleasure to see them progress over five-ten- or even-more years of their lives. I felt most rewarded when I learned that one of my former students with anorexia that many years ago is now happily married and truly in control of her life. I am glad to have been able to guide her to get help.

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J.C. LaPointe

J.C. LaPointe
Granby HS freshman
Soccer Player, Conn. Football Club
Tell about your dreams…

I would really like to travel. I want to experience more than just living in Granby. I am big into cars and especially interested in their design and development. Classic cars are the best, such as a classic Mercedes 280 SE, late 60’s, early 70’s. The Tesla car fascinates me. People my age are seriously concerned about the environment and this car isn’t as harmful (as gasoline engine cars). The Tesla doesn’t follow a formula in its style or engineering.
Your passions…
Soccer is a passion for me these days. I play for a premier team with the CFC and get to travel to towns around the state. Recently we went to a tournament in Boston. I hope to eventually play JV and Varsity.
Tell about something unusual at school. . .
Nothing really happens in Granby. I play saxophone in the band at school. We were playing a medley of tunes from Pirates of the Caribbean and one of the guys broke rank to dance around the room with a cardboard Kraken when the song came up about Krakens. You had to laugh. (The Kraken is a legendary sea monster that dwells near the coast of Greenland and Norway).​

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Matt Ryan

Matt Ryan
Age: 30+years
Free-lance cartoon artist/art teacher
House artist two comic companies
Tell me about your dreams…
I am living my dreams through the art I create and the times spent with my family. My dreams happen when I am awake.
Your passions…
I want to work harder and smarter at my job, to keep improving. In this way I would have more time to spend with my family. I’d like to try geocaching because treasure hunting with my daughters would be a lot of fun. I’d also like to hike Dinosaur State park since one of the girls is interested in dinosaurs.
Tell about an unusual experience….
Some of the students that come for lessons at my studio take trips with their parents to distant destinations such as Mexico, Greece and Germany. Sometimes the kids bring back examples of cartoon characters they find in these foreign destinations such as a German “Conan the Barbarian” figure to give to me. I love these souvenirs and it makes me feel a bond with my potential cartoonists.