A New Chapter: Stuyvesant Welcomes Its New Teachers of 2025

The beginning of a new school year at Stuyvesant is always exciting, bringing with it new routines, new friends, and new classes. Yet one aspect is perhaps the most exciting of all: the arrival of new teachers. This year’s newcomers represent a diverse range of backgrounds, from physics research and a career in law to art school and gaming marathons. Each new addition to the Stuyvesant community comes bearing fresh perspectives and new traditions.

Simon Lu, Algebra II and AP Precalculus 

Math teacher Simon Lu is no stranger to Stuyvesant. From 2021 to 2023, he taught five sections of Algebra II as a leave replacement before transitioning to Baruch College Campus High School, where he taught Precalculus and Calculus. Now, after half a year there, Lu has returned to teach two sections of AP Precalculus and three sections of Algebra II. “There was nostalgia in coming back,” Lu shared in an email interview. “I thought there was no harm in trying to apply.”

Lu’s decision to return was inspired by a desire to develop his teaching skills. “It was a hard choice deciding whether to stay at my old school or to come back [to] Stuy, but I ultimately decided to come back, as I knew which place would help me grow into a better teacher,” Lu described. “The staff at Stuy is amazing and willing to help when you ask. I feel like I have imposter syndrome all the time, and I feel so out of place, but I work very hard, even at home until [two to three] in the morning just to really think about concepts and what I want my kids to know.” Lu’s work ethic and dedication do more than just help him develop as a teacher: they also help his students learn more effectively.

Lu describes his teaching style as flexible and evolving. “I like to adapt and try different things,” he explained, noting that he often uses Desmos for his in-class activities. “[I use it] to explore ideas [and] directly teach content.” When planning lessons, Lu focuses on what he wants students to learn and how he can achieve that, a mindset he learned from observing fellow Stuyvesant math teacher Andrew Wille. “I learned [a lesson] from Mr. Wille [which] is, ‘what am I trying to teach them and how are they going to get there?’” Lu recalled, showing how Wille’s approach helped him balance visual activities with direct instruction.

For Lu, math feels like a puzzle. This year, he hopes his students find at least some appreciation for how the pieces fit together. “I can’t say that my goal is to make students like math, but I do want them to appreciate why something works or where it comes from,” he explained. In class, Lu’s approachable and slightly relatable style shines through, just as it does outside the classroom. Lu, like many Stuyvesant students, can often be spotted with an energy drink in hand or joking about his skills in Valorant, League, and Teamfight Tactics.

Isabel Tormo, Art Appreciation and Drafting & 3D Modeling

Isabel “Izzy” Tormo may be new to Stuyvesant’s staff, but not to its hallways. After completing her student teaching at Stuyvesant by working as a substitute teacher in the spring, Tormo is now joining full-time to teach three sections of Art Appreciation and two sections of Drafting & 3D Modeling. She recently graduated with a master’s degree in Art and Design Education from Pratt Institute.

Tormo is eager to merge creative and scientific ideas in the classroom. “I’m super excited about teaching and exploring the combination of art with STEM! There are so many ways to apply creative skills and techniques to a variety of industries, as well as using STEM concepts in art creation. For a long time, I thought that I had to choose between loving art and loving math, but I learned that you can totally be passionate about more than one subject at the same time,” Tormo explained in an email interview. This mindset is important at a school like Stuyvesant, where so many students’ interests lie within the STEM fields.

Tormo is focused on creating a classroom built on collaboration and open discussion. “I love to hear the thoughts of all my students because I think that each of them can make valuable contributions,” Tormo elaborated. Her main goal is to encourage students to try new things and make connections between art and everyday life. Emphasizing the attitude she hopes to see in her students, Tormo explained, “An open mind and willingness to try is the most important thing to bring to my class.” To encourage flexibility in the classroom, Tormo is open to being called Izzy, Miss Izzy, or Miss Tormo, depending on students’ preferences.

Beyond teaching, Tormo is also a big music fan. “I love all kinds of music, like punk, metal, country, hip hop, rap, pop, reggaeton, musicals, and more,” Tormo said. From her students, she’s open to recommendations: “I am always looking for suggestions of new music to listen to.”

Malcolm Duncan, Honors Physics and AP Physics C: Mechanics

Physics teacher Dr. Malcolm Duncan’s career hasn’t followed a straight line; before the classroom, he spent many years practicing law. Now, for the first time, he is teaching at Stuyvesant.

 Originally from Scotland, Dr. Duncan began his teaching career as a physics professor at the University of Iowa, but took a break from teaching to become an intellectual property attorney. After a successful law career spanning almost 20 years, he decided to move to New York and teach again, this time as a high school physics teacher. After teaching physics and chemistry at NEST+M, he transferred to Stuyvesant, where he now teaches three sections of Honors Physics and one section of AP Physics C: Mechanics. 

Dr. Duncan’s teaching style is very structured. “I like doing demos. We then have a mini-lesson and discussion. Finally, we apply what we have learned to a set of Regents questions,” he described in an email interview. Dr. Duncan especially emphasizes participation in class discussions. “Many of the concepts are counter-intuitive, and discussion helps break through preconceptions and get to a true understanding of how the universe actually works,” he explained. Students who struggle with physics could benefit from this approach because it can help them retain more information and gain a deeper understanding of physics concepts.

Dr. Duncan enjoys teaching physics because he believes that it helps us make better sense of the way the world works. Reflecting on the scale of human achievement in science, he said, “We homo sapiens have managed to understand the Big Bang and the structure of matter from our tiny little planet.” Dr. Duncan’s goal as a teacher is to pass on his knowledge and fascination with physics to his students.

Apart from his normal lesson plan, Dr. Duncan also has a fun classroom tradition: Bad Joke Fridays, where students are invited to share their jokes with the class. “My favorite student joke from last year was this: ‘A priest, an imam, a minister, and a rabbit walk into a clinic to donate blood. The nurse asks for their medical information. The rabbit says, ‘I’m a Type-O,’” Dr. Duncan shared.

Annie Zheng, Honors Chemistry

Annie Zheng brings both experience and creativity to Stuyvesant’s chemistry classrooms. This year, she joins the school for the first time, teaching four sections of Honors Chemistry.

Zheng has spent the past four years teaching in various settings. “I first started at a private school where I primarily worked with students with language-based learning disabilities, then moved to a public school in Queens called the Baccalaureate School for Global Education, where I taught [ninth]-grade Regents chemistry and 11th/12th-grade IB Chemistry,” Zheng shared in an email interview. That experience has helped her develop a flexible teaching style that meets students where they are.

Part of her teaching style involves hands-on projects, a hallmark of Zheng’s classroom. As one example, Zheng described, “I used to do a mole competition where students would make creative and artistic mole items and the school would vote for winners.” Projects like this, which are based on a reality show structured around teamwork, demonstrate how Zheng aims to make chemistry more engaging, encouraging students to explore concepts in memorable ways.

Zheng’s creativity doesn’t stop in her classroom. “I am a convention artist in my spare time, where I go to different events and pop-ups around NYC to sell my merch,” Zheng added. Her artistic pursuits give students a sense of the creativity that she brings to teaching.

With years of diverse teaching experience, a hands-on approach to learning, and a knack for making chemistry engaging through creative projects, Zheng brings both expertise and energy to her classroom.

Nathali Mendoza, Spanish II and Spanish III

Nathali Mendoza brings experience and passion to Stuyvesant after ten years of teaching Spanish in the U.S. and previous teaching experience in her home country, Peru. She will be teaching two sections of Spanish II and three sections of Spanish III. “My background in education consists of 10 years [of] teaching levels 1, 2, 3, and pre-AP Spanish to middle and high school students. I’ve previously taught at Columbia Secondary School in Manhattan. Prior to teaching in the United States, I taught Social Studies in Peru, my home country,” Mendoza shared in an email interview.

In the classroom, Mendoza incorporates a variety of topics to encourage class discussion. “Sometimes I would bring in current events to spark interest in the topic and develop the class from there,” she said, using contemporary issues to make lessons relevant. She also draws on history, particularly Hispanic and Latino heritage, to provide students with context and depth.

Mendoza values hearing perspectives from those she teaches on the information she brings in. “I also like to hear students’ opinions on topics before we dive deep into the lesson,” she explained. Similar to other language teachers, she especially emphasizes engagement. “[It helps with] developing students’ communication skills such as speaking, reading, writing, and listening in the target language,” Mendoza explained, ensuring that students practice all aspects of Spanish in a meaningful way.

Mendoza believes that the skills students learn in Spanish are becoming increasingly relevant. “I teach Spanish because we live in a globalized world that requires more professional preparation in different areas. I think that it is essential for future generations to learn more than one language, which will open many more opportunities in life,” Mendoza said. This perspective fuels her enthusiasm in the classroom, as each lesson focuses on more than just teaching vocabulary and grammar, but also equipping students with skills that can broaden their future opportunities.

Mendoza decided to teach at Stuyvesant because of the opportunities that come with it. “The students at Stuyvesant are known as the best in the city. It is an honor and a privilege to be part of the Stuyvesant community,” she said. “I like challenges, and having students who are eager to learn and ask questions is a wonderful thing. Seeing the level of commitment and dedication to their education brings me hope for the future,” Mendoza described.

Outside of school, Mendoza is also the proud owner of a pet rabbit. “During my last semester in college, I had a little lionhead bunny whom I appropriately named Señor Conejo because I wanted to give him a formal name. Sadly, Señor Conejo became ill for a period of time. I found myself constantly going back and forth to the veterinarian with less and less time to tend to both him and my studies. Faced with this peculiar circumstance, I decided to put Señor Conejo in my bag and bring him to my classes. I’m proud to say Señor Conejo became a healthy college-educated rabbit,” Mendoza shared.

Stuyvesant’s new teachers all hail from entirely different backgrounds and will undoubtedly bring their unique approaches to teaching and valuable experiences to this new school year. As the year goes by, it will be exciting to see not only the impact these new teachers will have on their students but also the way they will develop their styles and grow to fit the broader Stuyvesant community.