Baker 100 is flooded with students putting the finishing touches on their advanced projects in Physics. The sound of nails being hammered into place, the whir of twin leafblowers, and the buzz of lively conversations echo in the bright glass room. The air is filled with excitement and anticipation for the project’s completion. Eventually, the bell rings for lunch, yet no student leaves the classroom. They are all immersed in their projects, focused on getting just one more detail right before they leave for the day. Amidst the chaos of the room, contentedly observing the students who appear so invested in their learning, stands Christine Pasterczyk, referred to as CP by all who know her. The beloved Chess team advisor, Physics Department pioneer, and devoted educator is retiring after 31 years at Nobles. She leaves a legacy of collaboration, genuine kindness and connection, and passion for learning that all in the Nobles community will sorely miss.
Pasterczyk first decided she would become a teacher in an unusual way. “I went to the Career Counseling Center at Bucknell University, which is where I went to school, and they had us go through this battery of personality tests,” she said. Yet none of the potential careers they attempted to match her with resonated. Instead, she looked up from the personality test on the office’s desk and up to the file cabinets inside the Career Counseling Center’s offices: “They had all of these drawers in the cabinets organized by field, and at the very bottom, there was a drawer labelled ‘Miscellaneous.’ Naturally, I pulled out the miscellaneous drawer, and inside found a brochure for a teaching fellowship program,” she said. From there, CP traveled to Phillips Exeter Academy, where she worked for six years. As soon as she arrived, she was hooked on teaching. “I believe in the potential every young person has to become the best version of themselves, and I love the opportunity teaching supplies for me to be an agent in that process of transformation,” Pasterczyk said.
In 1994, CP realized that working at a day school would provide her with more balance than Exeter’s seven-day boarding program would. She was initially hired at Nobles to teach chemistry, which was her college major. “It was a close-knit place, and when I first arrived, the faculty was also much smaller. So it was a wonderful place to arrive, because it felt like I was known. There was a really great sense of community,” she said of her initial years at the school. During CP’s first year on campus, the school’s previous physics teacher decided to leave Nobles. “Inside, I was jumping for joy. I love teaching physics,” she said. Thus, she began 30 legendary years of physics classes under her guidance and mentorship. CP was not just limited to the classroom either. “I ran the Outdoor Adventure afternoon program[…] I coached Girls Varsity Soccer[…] I even advised The Nobleman,” she said.
“Inside, I was jumping for joy. I love teaching physics.”
Although CP was involved in numerous extracurricular programs throughout her time at Nobles, her most well-known association is with the chess team. Notably, though, she was not introduced to the game until midway through her time at Nobles, during a sabbatical in 2005. “I spent most of it in Northern India, and a lot of the traders or workers would spend their spare time just playing chess by the side of the road. So, I would play with them,” she said.
CP’s first games were characterized by repeated losses. Her fortune turned, however, when she met a Swiss man who offered to give her lessons. “Within a month, I was beating all the guys on the side of the road,” she said. When she returned to school the next year, she decided to start the storied Nobles Chess Team. This excursion abroad was just one of CP’s many travels. “I love spending time in places where I can get closer to people of other cultures. I’m curious, and I so value the shifts in perspective that take place when one leaves the familiar comforts of ‘home,’” she said. Her travels have ranged from the Himalayan Mountains, where she was faced with a choice of five unmarked paths to descend from a slope and (fortunately) picked the correct one, to bathing in the geothermal hot springs of Iceland, to cross-country skiing in Norway. Through travel, she embraces local cultures and tries to form as many genuine connections as she can.
This kindness resonates with CP’s impact on her students, who are endlessly grateful for her support and kindness. “She’s someone who really cares about the community around her, about the people close to her, and does everything she can to support them. She pours her heart and soul into the stuff she does,” Derek Jin (Class I) said. He is thankful for her countless behind-the-scenes contributions to the chess team and her role as a supporting force as an advisor. Inside the classroom, she illuminates the incredibly difficult class of Honors Physics. “I think physics is often a really hard subject for a lot of people at Nobles, but CP brings a lot of light to it. They simply find the class fun,” Erin Campbell (Class II) said.
“She’s someone who really cares about the community around her, about the people close to her, and does everything she can to support them. She pours her heart and soul into the stuff she does.”
Others find value in the broader lessons CP teaches through physics. “One day, we sat down and started talking about class during extra help. Then, we just started talking about life, and she said, ‘It’s never been about the physics,’ and I realized I was learning so many things outside of physics, like how to break down a big problem step by step without becoming overwhelmed. I was learning patience, I was learning not to give up, and I was learning to enjoy the work,” Raquel Frankel (Class I) said.
These genuine connections and conversations are central to CP’s impact on the school community. “CP has changed my mindset in so many ways about what it means to be a student in Honors classes, but also what it means to be a scientist. She has formed us into more resilient, humble, and courageous students and people. She embodies the ‘relationship before task’ mentality more than any teacher I’ve seen,” Lily Comander (Class I) said.
When asked about CP, her students respond with endless praise. CP is someone who receives the highest respect and affection from anyone with whom she interacts, and she deserves it. She is kind, caring, and passionate about everything she does. And, above all, she values human connection. In her words, “If you think you love something, you might love it even more with somebody whom you really admire.” The Nobles community is deeply appreciative of the support, empathy, and kindness that CP embodies. Thank you, CP, for making this community a better place every day.