Hawthorne High School’s science teacher Thaddeus Kopec is retiring this year. During his 11 years at HHS, many students have said that he was one of the best teachers they had.

Kopec’s students know that he loves his job and still feels joy in teaching. If a lesson was ever too hard for a student, Kopec would always give many ways to make up extra points and would also help anyone who needed tutoring after school. “Mr. Kopec is a great teacher; whenever I needed help, I would come after school and he was patient enough to help me,” said HHS student Megan Menary. Kopec’s plans after retirement are to enjoy spending time with his wife and six grandchildren, playing golf, reading some books, and teaching at Bergen Community College. He also plans to become a certified gemologist.

Kopec has had many other jobs before becoming a teacher. He was a chemist and a chemical product manager at Hoffmann La Roche in Nutley, NJ. Kopec first began teaching as a part-time adjunct professor of chemistry at Bergen Community College in 1984. “In 1998, I became a victim of downsizing, and was forced to leave HLR,” said Kopec. After working for two small chemical companies, Kopec realized that he was no longer content with what he was doing, and entered into something that he knew he would be good at:  teaching.  “I chose high school over college, because I wanted to make a difference.”

Kopec is a great teacher who has impacted many students’ lives, as some students impacted his. When asked about his most memorable moment at Hawthorne High School, he said, “It is difficult to pick out just one, so I will pass on the first thing that comes to mind.  In 2005, five of my senior students felt so inspired by me that they chose to have a star named after me.  If you look with telescopic eyes, you will see this star, burning with a very dim light in the constellation of Ursa Major.  I was actually moved to tears that I, as a humble man, could have had such an impact on students.  I hung the plaque and star map, and in my dreams I hope to visit this place someday, so that the inhabitants of this star system come to know how their star got its name.”

As the school year ends, it is time to say goodbye to one of Hawthorne’s best. Mr. Kopec, you will be missed.