Engineering teacher James Buys, a beloved teacher and colleague, recently announced that he will be retiring from Morgan at the end of this school year. Mr. Buys has worked at Morgan for the past two years and has solely taught Engineering. Before coming to Morgan, he worked at Avon High School for 11 years and Cromwell High School for 26 years.
Mr. Buys has impacted Morgan tremendously by not only teaching students, but by being a role model for his fellow teachers. Mr. Buys has also helped a variety of students go to college for engineering or manufacturing. The main college that students go to for engineering or manufacturing is Goodwin University. Goodwin University partnered with Morgan to provide students, especially seniors, a new experience in technology. Engineering class offers field trips to go to Goodwin and tour the college. Morgan offers engineering college credits for Goodwin University as well.
Before teaching, Mr. Buys went to college at Central Connecticut State University and earned a Technology Ed B.S. and M.S. Mr. Buys decided to teach engineering because when he was in high school as a student he was always in the shop, and he loved to do hands-on activities such as using machines. Before being a teacher, Mr. Buys worked in construction, and he drove an armored truck for Dunbar.
When he retires from Morgan, he wants to do outdoor activities such as fishing, hiking, and traveling. Mr. Buys enjoyed his time at Morgan. He said, “The kids and staff are friendly and extremely helpful.” During his time at Morgan, the teachers that have helped him the most were Ted Enoch and Jess Mularski. Jess Mularski said, “I have loved working with Mr. Buys. He is legitimately one of the smartest men I know. One piece of equipment in his room could take someone YEARS to learn about, and he learned about all of them in under two years. We were so lucky to have him. He’s also one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. I’m going to miss him a lot.” Mrs. Mularski and Mr. Enoch found Mr. Buys to be very helpful during their time teaching with him at Morgan. Both Mr. Enoch and Mrs. Mularski will also be retiring at the end of this school year. Mr. Enoch teaches Intro to Communications and Digital Imaging. Mrs. Mularski teaches classes in technology which include Video Production and Live Broadcasting.
Mr. Buys has had many great memories from his time here at Morgan. One of his favorite memories was watching the students run the CNC router and milling machine in his engineering classes. He thought that it was amazing to watch students learn how to operate these machines.
Since Mr. Buys is leaving, he wants all students and staff at Morgan to know something very important. He said “Morgan recognizes that not all kids want/should go to a 4-year college and has structured the Engineering Program to enable students to go directly into a good paying industrial job.” Morgan is one of the few schools on the Shoreline that offers engineering. This also shows that all students have different plans after high school, and college is not the only option.
Mr. Buys, thank you so much for all that you did at Morgan and the impact that you made on the school. Here are some words from your students:
“I loved taking his class this year and I enjoyed going every day. I’m going to miss my bestie next year!” -Junior Angelie Jaramillo-Navas
“I’m going to miss talking to him. Engineering was a bit challenging at times, but he helped us out a lot. He made class fun, and I loved his stories.” -Senior Glenda Zhiminaicela
“I really enjoyed and learned a lot from his class. I will miss him a lot as a teacher.” -Freshman Taylor Breen
“Mr. Buys inspired me to continue Engineering classes after taking Engineering I. I am excited to keep taking these classes, even though I know it will be different without him.” -Freshman Emma Teuner
