By Sophie Weinstein ’13, LifeStyle Editor
Couple Mr. Sam Tumolo, longtime head of the math department, and Mrs. Jean Corbus, longtime Kindergarten teacher, will both be retiring at the end of the year.
Since he began working at CCDS in 1973, Mr. Tumolo has been a part of many aspects of the school’s curriculum. He coached football, taught math, and supported new technology in the upper school. As one of the first teachers to get behind technology at CCDS, Mr. Tumolo strongly believes that it’s important to the curriculum. “There are terrific facilities at this school and I’m really interested in technology,” said Mr. Tumolo. “In the early 80’s I helped introduce micro-computers to the school. Several of us were part of the group that got the Apple 2’s into the school in the early 1980s.”
One of his fondest memories of his time at CCDS was his undefeated football season in 1978. “Coaches have a different relationship with kids, teacher/coach is a cool relationship,” said Mr. Tumolo, appreciative of his time coaching. “Not having coached for 30 years it’s been something I certainly have missed.”
Mr. Tumolo’s interesting relationship with some students grows from the connections he has to multiple generations within individual families. “I have taught many children of former students,” he stated. Some of his current colleagues are former students, he said. “I taught (Dean of Students Fred) Carey ’80 when he was a 7th grader, and knew but never taught (History teacher Peter) Fossett ’80. I also taught (Math teacher Mary) Zimmerman ’92 when she was a freshman.”
“It’s been great having Mr. Tumolo as a colleague,” said Mrs. Zimmerman. “He was and still is an exceptional teacher. He is understanding while at the same time demanding, which is what epitomizes Country Day,” she said. “As both a teacher and a colleague, he has encouraged me and supported me, even when I made mistakes. I will definitely miss him next year!”
Also retiring at the end of this year is Mr. Tumolo’s wife, Mrs. Jean Corbus who works in the lower school and has created a wonderful classroom that many students remember fondly. Having worked at CCDS for 22 years Mrs. Corbus was overwhelmed with too many favorite memories of students to share just one, but she recalls that they’re “sweet, hysterical, poignant and
make me cry.”
Besides the wonderful stories she has to tell about them, Mrs. Corbus loved her time working with children because she says she learned a lot from them: “They’re wise, they’re funny, and they’re honest.”
Before she leaves for retirement, a time which she plans to spend lots of with her family and also to travel, she wanted to remind her former students to “Stay flexible, keep learning, be a friend to others, and sort of more of that human stuff.”
Next year will definitely feel different without these two standout faculty members. “As a department we will also be losing a colleague that has been a wealth of information on nearly every mathematics subject,” said next year’s Math Department Chair Greg Faulhaber. “It will be very difficult to find a replacement who has his quantity of knowledge and willingness to share it.”
To any teachers interested in entering the lower school, Mrs. Corbus recommends that they “find a couple of mentor teachers to go to for advice.” In doing so, she “learned to be a better listener and have more patience with children.”
As much as the community will miss them, Mr. Tumolo and Mrs. Corbus will equally miss CCDS. Mr. Tumolo said his favorite thing about working at CCDS was that “We have the best students in town and families and the kids are all working towards the same goal. Working with the quality of our students and the interest they put in education has been a wonderful thing.”
