WOODBURY — Can you guess who this teacher is?

• Taught overseas 
• Graduated from Nonnewaug High School
• Avid sports fan
• Coaches Unified Sports
• Co-advisor for Literacy Club
• Serves on a variety of scholarship committees
• Teaches many different English courses
• Known for his famous entry at the faculty vs. student basketball game last year 

If you guessed Conor Gereg, you are correct!

Gereg has been a teacher at Nonnewaug since 2013. He is an inspiration to his students and loves a good sports talk. 

He has taught Advanced Placement Literature and Composition for eight years and creative writing for five. This is his first year teaching Culture and Craft, since it is a new class.

Students appreciate everything Gereg brings to the table in the classroom.

“Mr. Gereg cares a lot about his student work ethic. He gives really good advice for my essays and is very funny,” said senior Marissa Uva, who has taken both sports literature and AP Lit with Gereg.

“He’s a pretty cool teacher,” said junior Jake Marques, who took Gereg’s creative writing class. “He helps us with our work when we need help and always asks about our days.”

Both Uva and Marques agreed that they enjoy hearing Gereg’s stories about his son and his dog, Moose. Marques also added that his favorite memory with Gereg was when “he announced to the class, ‘I got no sleep last night; I had a crying baby.’” 

Before Gereg came to NHS, he worked overseas at an International Baccalaureate in Budapest, Hungary. During his time there, he taught American and British literature. In addition, he completed his student teaching in Region 14 and also worked in schools in California while he was in college. 

Gereg graduated from NHS in 2006. Toby Denman, a science teacher at NHS, taught in a joint classroom for one of Gereg’s freshman classes. During that year, NHS was undergoing a renovation and two rooms (B13 and B15) were joined as one. 

“One day, while the other teacher and I were doing our best to manage 46 kids doing a lab, we turned around to hear raucous laughter from the middle of the room,” Denman recalled. “Instead of Mr. Gereg’s folding table being used for lab space, recess had broken out and his friends had begun using it as a slide.  I feel like 14-year-old Mr. Gereg immediately denied any involvement, but I’m not certain if that was the case.”

“It’s pretty cool that he has gone on to become a colleague of mine and a good friend,” Denman concluded.  

At one point, Denman and Gereg coached Nonnewaug’s baseball team together.

“He and I had a blast coaching together and the team came around and played some good baseball in the second half of the season,” Denman said. 

Gereg currently coaches Nonnewaug’s Unified Sports program.

“Just last year, our school was named a Champion School, an accolade that’s given at the national level to recognize Unified programs and the inclusivity they strive to create,” said Gereg. “I’ve been fortunate to have worked with [John] Dominello for the past eight years building this program and it’s come to represent the face of our school.”

“It’s great to see what he has done with his current position,” added Denman. 

Gereg also contributes to many school events. One example in particular was the pep rally last February, which included a faculty vs. student basketball game.

“I was amazed that he was willing to wear a mullet wig at last year’s pep rally,” said Ben Guerette, a fellow English teacher who also played in the game. “He looked terrible — absolutely awful. I loved it.”

Students and staff went wild when Gereg raced across the gym floor. It was not only an amazing performance of school spirit, but it also showed students that teachers are human, too.

Gereg also supports the community by being a proctor for the SATs. Guerette said that one of his favorite memories with Gereg was when he showed up late to proctor the SATs a few years ago — a rare miscue.

“He’s always on time for everything. His lesson plans are always ready. He remembers every email, and knows where every form is,” said Guerette. “He’s constantly reminding me about stuff I forgot, so it was nice to see him mess up — the one time he has. It proved he’s actually a human.”

If you’re looking for a new challenge or goal, here is something to keep in mind: According to Guerette, “When Mr. Gereg laughs really hard, he almost cries. It’s pretty satisfying when you can make him laugh that hard.”

Gereg is one of a kind. He has given so much back to his community, is an exceptional teacher, and has a fun side to him, which students love to see.