Although he may not have taught every student, Tony Calabria’s name is a popular one at Wakefield High School. The English teacher has been teaching at Wakefield since it was opened in 2000 and has made an impact on many students since.

Morgan Nanni, a senior in his 20th Century Classics class and Trends and Movements in literature class, loves having Calabria as a teacher and wishes he taught every class.

“His teaching style is very fun and interactive. He makes me enjoy class while still teaching me.” Nanni said.

Nanni also said that Calabria loves joking around and making his students laugh.

“He is always trying to make me and other students laugh in crazy ways. Its super funny when he sings ‘Go ‘head girl, go ‘head girl, go ‘head get down’”, Nanni said. “It has me weak everytime.”

Calabria’s likeability goes beyond his students and out towards the other teacher’s of the school. Mr. Samuel Bliga, a Social Studies teacher at Wakefield, holds Calabria in high regard.

“I met Mr Calabria in 2002 while he was on the faculty, and he introduced himself because he’s a pretty outgoing guy,” Bliga said. 

Bliga also mentioned that they both have each other’s back when they need it.

“He always says the phone is there if you need help,” Bliga said. “He and his two sons came and visited me when I had heart surgery in December of 2014 and that was cool and meant a lot to me.”

As a teacher, getting the students to respect you is difficult, but Bliga says Calabria doesn’t have much of a problem with it.

“I think he relates as a young guy to today’s generations and not many teachers can do that,” Bliga said. “It’s the laid back atmosphere he brings that makes him very likeable and it’s obvious he cares about his students.”

Jodi Riedell, another Wakefield High School teacher and close friend, has a personal connection to Calabria.

“I have known Tony for 15 years,” Riedel said. “I met him when I first got [to Wakefield] because he was the cool guy on campus and best friends with the principal and extremely loud and outspoken and we butted heads professionally. But I guess it must have been on his 30th birthday [when we became good friends] because I somehow got invited. He was having it with a friend of his named Jamie and they were both turning 30. Little did I know that I would end up marrying Jamie. They have known each other since they were 14 and since Jamie is my husband, Tony is family now.”

Riedel also recalls a time where Calabria was there for her when times were rough.

“I am most thankful for when Jamie had cancer and Tony would take him to treatments.” Riedel said. “When I was mentally and physically exhausted from taking care of a one year old, he would take care of him.”

Calabria has touched the hearts of many inside and outside of his classroom and will no doubt continue to be one of the most highly regarded at Wakefield High School.

“If every teacher at this school was as awesome as Mr. Calabria I would never want to graduate.” Nanni said.