As autumn fades into winter, Tyburn Academy has spent the season getting used to our sudden growth spurt. With the opening of our middle school in September, the student body has more than doubled in size from last year, including an increase from 41 to 51 in the high school.

This year, every classroom is in use, and music and art classes no longer have to share a classroom. Social studies and English are taught using a multi-cultural approach, and Latin is taught to all sixth and seventh graders.

Several of the eighth-graders travel down to the high school daily for classes in math, Spanish I and earth science.

The increase in the student body has of course led to an increase in the number of teachers as well.

The middle school opening went off with barely a hitch, thanks to the administrative experience of our middle school principal, Gary Robertson.

A veteran of the Auburn Enlarged City School district, Robertson is also teaching our eighth graders.

Originally from the New Jersey area, Joshua Blonski joined the Tyburn faculty full-time this year, and like most of us at Tyburn, wears many hats.

Blonski teaches boys' phys. ed. at both the middle and high school level and coached our boys' varsity soccer team.

He is also teaching ninth-grade theology and sixth- and seventh-grade Latin.

He has instituted a new elective course, Senior Symposium, a reading and discussion group. He's been busy this month organizing our first coffeehouse, with music, literature and drama competitions between cups of coffee.

Christine Alexander says she has stepped into the best of both worlds, teaching seventh-grade English and social studies as well as both middle and high school art.

Her enthusiasm for teaching is obvious as we frequently watch her class hike to the playground and enjoy class among the fallen leaves. A graduate of Wells College and Nazareth, Alexander says that the new middle school teachers have the privilege of setting the bar, so to speak.

She and Blonski mentioned that they are impressed with the diversity of their students, who come from public, private and home schools. The school's tradition of Christian courtesy lends itself to the classroom learning process, according to both. With about a dozen students in each of the three grades, they are both impressed at how the middle school students have quickly bonded into a family.

Dawn Taylor had been home-schooling her two daughters until Alexandra began her junior year last fall at Tyburn.

This year, Katherine began eighth grade at Tyburn and Dawn joined the teaching staff. A graduate of SUNY Cortland, Dawn has taken on health as well as middle school math and science.

Nancy Cannucciari has stepped into the role of sixth-grade teacher; she brings with her not only teaching experience but familiarity with Tyburn, having been involved behind the scenes for several years. Cannucciari is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin Whitewater and Le Moyne College.

Our computer lab is getting even more use now with the middle school's technology course, taught by Regina Scalisi, who is a retired Auburn district teacher.

She has been joined in the tech department by John Hayes, who is himself a graduate of Tyburn. Alana Matson has joined us to teach another Spanish course.

Among other retirees who were happy to keep on teaching are Margaret Flowers and Linda Schwab, who have taken on our high school chemistry class.

Both are former professors at Wells College.

Several seniors were hoping to take physics this year, so Pat Murphy was recruited to teach.

There was no room in the daytime schedule for a physics class, so the seven physics students meet on Monday evenings, and have the added bonus of a pizza halftime.

After a brief internship, Margaret Schultz has stepped into the position of ninth-grade English teacher, relieving a reluctant Mrs. Hogan, who has more than enough to do as full-time principal.

Steve Uhnak has accepted the position of vocal music instructor. Another Auburn retiree, Nancy Sheehe, has started a middle school band. Sheehe taught instrumental music in the district.

The middle school students have been active in their Student Life Organization, planning social events and starting their required community service projects. The middle school teachers have all been very enthusiastic as well about a student band which has been rehearsing, consisting of Nick Camardo, Nick Thurston, Brad Berry and Sam DelFavero, so we're all anxiously waiting to hear them at their first gig.

Tyburn welcomes visitors. We're in our second year at the former St. Mary's School on Clymer Street.

Barbara Murphy is the school nurse and does publicity for Tyburn Academy