Before the first bell rings, Mr. Pomella is already juggling more than most, preparing physics lessons, checking in on the e-sports club and making time for the wrestling team all while making time for his family at home. Known for his optimistic energy and commitment both inside and outside of the classroom, he is a constant presence in the school community.
Mr. Pomella has three kids who are in the same age range as the place he works. Some would say that he should get sick of teaching freshman physics over and over again but, Mr. Pomella loves to teach, and he explains how having kids in school influences the way he teaches.
“I mean there are certain topics I don’t like as much but otherwise, I never get sick of teaching physics because I love physics, it’s good stuff,” he said. “But having kids in high school has changed my perspective on kids a little bit and the kids I teach changed my perspective on my children a bunch too. I learned a lot from both of them and used it for each other.”
At Oliver Ames, Mr. Pomella is very involved with the wrestling team. He wrestled as a kid and ended up being the assistant coach when he first started working at OA. Ever since then he has shown up and supported the team.
“One day in 8th grade my brother said, ‘Hey grab your clothes we are going to wrestling today.’ I didn’t know that I was signed up or anything about it. It was just what my family does. But when I had my job interview to be a teacher they told me that I was going to start a wrestling team and I said okay. Which then led to me wanting to be the coach.”
Mr. Pomella has taught physics to freshmen for a while now. He doesn’t see a stop in teaching any time soon. Pomella explains what he does outside of school and what his life will be like after retirement.
“I think I’ll retire in 10 or 11 years somewhere around there. When I’m not in school I play disc golf and this summer I have a seasonal campsite in Connecticut, so I plan on sitting at a campground and chilling and maybe reading a lot of books.
No one keeps calm while balancing multiple classes, clubs and kids like Mr. Pomella does. He always comes into school with a smile on his face while juggling so many things at once. The best part is he loves all of it.
“I honestly just don’t ever spend time at home. For the most part, what I’m doing is working a couple jobs and never getting home. The main thing is that my wife and I are really big about putting everything we’re doing in a shared calendar so we always know what’s going on.”
One thing that can be a very niche topic is E-Sports. Mr. Pomella is an expert when it comes to electronic sports. He started the club and he has been the advisor ever since he got to Oliver Ames.
“I mean it was randomly asked by the old principal if someone wanted to start one because it was a new program in the state. I wanted to bring something different to our school to give kids something to have if they didn’t have any connections to the school.”
