How Harford County becomes home

Nearly a quarter of FHS teachers went to Harford County Public Schools– which should be shocking because having 25% of a staff come from the same area is almost unheard of. What led so many Harco-alum to become teachers and how did Fallston become home? 

For most of the Harco-returners, becoming a teacher was an easy, if not natural, decision. Many share the sentiment that because some of the most influential people in their lives were teachers, they considered that career more appealing. They also wanted to provide the same impact their teachers had on them to the future generations. 

But for two of the staff members, the path to becoming a teacher wasn’t as clear. For Mr. Edward Rychwalski (Harford Tech, Class of ‘03), he “was tired of playing contract roulette on APG,” and thought that he “might be good at teaching,” so when he “was given a chance [he] stuck with it.” 

Mr. Michael Capozzoli (C. Milton Wight, Class of ‘13) also tried a different career path before finding himself in education: sales. He says, “I found that my passion in that field was always educating customers on new products and how to use them rather than the actual sale itself.”  

This makes a lot of sense because for all the Harford County returners, the primary driver for becoming a teacher was, as Ms. Jackie Cummings (Fallston, Class of ‘07) puts it, “a love for watching students start to learn the material and gain an understanding of the concepts!” 

The most surprising thing isn’t that these individuals chose teaching as their career, nor is it the fact that they grew up here but, rather, that they chose to stay. Of all the places in the world they decided –or perhaps had it decided for them– that Fallston was where they were meant to be.  

Many teachers love this region for its proximity to Washington, D.C, New York, Baltimore, and Philadelphia. There are many advantages to living near major cities. For many, Maryland often feels like a mini-America. Ms. Katie Rizer (Bel Air, Class of ‘08) mentions, “It has rural, urban, and suburban spaces. There are beaches, bays, rivers, lakes, mountains, and fields.”  

This mini-America can really be seen in the Fallston area. Ms. Lauren Price (Fallston, Class of ‘98) explains, “There are lots of small businesses here and great places to eat that give us that small-town feeling.” 

This small-town feeling is something all the teachers love. Ms. Roxanne Ryan (Fallston, Class of ‘09) says, “I love the small-town aspects. There are shops, restaurants, and essentially anything you need within 5 minutes. As athletic as [my family is], we love having parks all around, sidewalks to run or walk on, and fields to go play with our daughters in.” 

Fallston feels like a small town and truly is very small, which “isn’t always a bad thing as you always see familiar faces wherever you go,” says Ms. Jennifer Canatella (Fallston, Class of ‘94). 

But many people want to get away from all those familiar faces. Most people, even those called to teach, come out of high school never wanting to return. So why did so many come back? 

Ms. Maddie Palko (Fallston, Class of ‘05) offers that “no community is perfect, including ours, but Fallston is really good at supporting its members.” Maybe they stayed because “the amount of involvement from the community in all events can’t be found everywhere,” proposes Ms. J. Cummings. So, was this unyielding support and involvement the reason to return?  

As it turns out, the biggest reason the Harco-alum say they chose to stay was because of family.  

Ms. Carlie Chatterton (Patterson Mill, Class of ‘10) shares, “I am not a big risk taker, and I could never imagine living far away from my family and not seeing them all the time. For that reason, I’ve stayed so close to home.” 

Mr. Patrick Mull (Fallston, Class of ‘09) agrees adding, “The biggest thing that made me stay local is my family. I am very close with my parents and brothers, and they all stayed around here.” He goes on to say, “My wife is also from the Fallston area, and it all just kind of made sense for me to come back.” 

Fallston is a community that is so family-centered, which may make it difficult to leave. Not only is it the relationship with your actual family that pushes you to stay but also the fact that in Fallston, it is so easy for friends, neighbors, and co-workers alike to become family. 

Ms. Janice Caro (Bel Air) comments, “I came back because I wanted to raise my family. Most of my high school friends still lived in Bel Air, and that was important to me.” 

Despite being so family-driven, Fallston has its downsides. The community “is very close-knit and supportive of each other,” but it can be “difficult to break into as a newcomer,” explains Ms. Price. When she was new to the Fallston community as a redistricted freshman, she “didn’t feel a warm welcome,” and over the years, she has talked to countless students who share that experience. 

Fallston can sometimes be too close-knit, to an extent where it becomes exclusive. Many teachers and students alike, who haven’t been in this area their whole lives, feel that all this clique-y-ness prevents new people from joining pre-existing groups. This also causes many to lose the desire to get involved in the Fallston community. 

Most people who live in Fallston their whole life are familiar with the so-called “Fallston Bubble.” They are primarily exposed to all the same types of people, social circles, economic classes, and more. Many view Fallston as a community with a sense of superiority and even, at times, a lack of open-mindedness. 

Ms. Rizer says, “I wish more Harford County residents could be exposed to diverse voices and hear those voices with an open mind.”  

Ms. Price recalls that as a student here, she doesn’t “remember anyone really talking to [her] about the importance of experiencing different cultures or environments,” and if she could go back, she would “absolutely have gone far away for college.”  

With her own children growing up here, she says she “appreciates and values the many privileges afforded them in this environment” but hopes they will be more adventurous than she was when they graduate in order to enter adulthood with the perspective that “Fallston culture is not representative of most of the country.” 

Several other teachers agree and wish they, too, would have had more exposure to different communities. 

“I wish I would have studied abroad. I worried too much about missing things related to lacrosse,” Mr. Mull said. “I don’t think studying abroad would have changed my life’s route either, so therefore I wish I would have been more adventurous and done that.” 

This lack of exposure and desire to have had more adventure is the only regret these teachers seem to have. But beyond that, they all note that Fallston is imperfect but nice overall.  

The largest take-away for the teachers who grew up in Harford County and chose to stay is that everything that has happened to get them here has made them into the person they are today: the kind of people who value unique experiences and wish the best for their students, the kind of people who remember the things they would’ve changed in their own adolescence, and the kind of people who are devoted to being part of a greater positive change for Fallston.