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October 28, 2017While Mr. Spisak, VASJ’s new art teacher, may look like a biker or a bricklayer, he’s really an artist, musician, and a mentor at heart.
“I love people,” Spisak says.
He was influenced by several of his teachers and coaches who inspired him to become those things himself.
“My coaches and teachers in high school were very passionate with helping young people,” Spisak says. “I felt compelled to do the same, paying it forward. My parents were very inspirational people, too” Spisak says.
On top of this, he genuinely enjoys helping others learn and learning from others.
“Everyone has God-given gifts and I believe we should share them with others,” Spisak says. “And educators do this every day.”
He has been teaching for 26 years at various schools. He spent a majority of his teaching career at St. Peter Chanel in Bedford, where he coached football and ran the weight room. After that he worked for four years at Lake Catholic where he taught several AP design courses along with drawing and painting classes.
He is now in his first year as a member of the Viking Village teaching Intro to Art, Ceramics, and Drawing. So far his experiences at VASJ have been overwhelming positive.
“When I walked in this building there was a strong sense of family,” Spisak says.
He had previously heard of VASJ and felt it had a reputation of greatness. He wants to help VASJ keep its positive image and has goals to improve and expand the arts programs.
“Ultimately, the department will address the needs of all students, whether beginner or advanced,” Spisak says. “By next year, there will be advanced drawing and painting courses and possibly a portfolio development course. Hoping to have Advanced Placement (AP) art courses as well, such as AP Drawing and AP 2D Design.”
He would also like to designate an established display case for the art department.
“As of today, the school does not have a designated location specifically designed for displaying art, so this will be something to be corrected in the near future,” Spisak says.
He wants his students to remember him for the great projects they create and
remember the self development that they would go through with him. In the future he would like to coach again, particularly football and strength training.
Mr. Spisak believes that actions speak louder than words and he demonstrates this in the classroom everyday.
Michael Doss is a senior at VASJ. In addition to being a member of PR Club, Michael is also involved in Robotics, Academic Challenge, and Virtus. In his free time, he enjoys woodworking, playing harmonica, and listening to podcasts. After graduation Michael plans to attend CSU and major in Mechanical Engineering.
