Photo by Sebastian Romero, Assistant Photo Director & Assistant Entertainment Editor
Article by Stephanie Perez, Copy Editor & Staff Writer / Savannah Cooks, Entertainment Editor
What do students look for in their school staff? Who can they seek help from or trust?
If you have seen a new face walking around the building lately, you might have come across said staff member already. A staff member that genuinely cares about his students is what any student could ask for when seeking help at their school.
Matthew Tregellas joined the dean staff at IT earlier this fall ready to support all the student body with all of their needs. Having worked as a teacher at St. Anthony’s in Milwaukee for seven years, Tregellas is equipped with the experience to offer advice and help.
“Outside of school if they have problems. If there’s bullying problems, if they’re having problems in their classes, I’m here to help them,” Tregellas said. “I check over some kids’ grades. If they’re having problems in classes, I’ll look them up, and give them a different path to graduate on time.”
Tregellas works with students primarily for their educational needs, getting them back on track to graduate and helping them with credits and grades. Any problem students are facing with their academics or personal life, he is there to offer his support especially with the social and emotional state that resulted after the pandemic, he said. Since he experienced being a student at a large high school himself, he is someone that can relate to the problems a lot of students face and tries his best to help them as much as he can.
“I have an open door policy. I’m an open book, I’ll be super upfront with them. I only tell the truth, but I also can lean on them as much as they can lean on me,” Tregellas said. “But I just want to be somebody — I want to be somebody that they can trust.”
Tregellas worked at a smaller high school before IT, so he works hard to catch up to the year here. His efforts have not gone unnoticed, especially by Assistant Principal Matthew St. Martin.
“He’s not hesitant, you know, he’s not just sitting in his office all day. He’s out learning about our building. He’s learning about the kids who go here, he’s trying to get caught up as fast as possible,” St. Martin said.
“I think he’s done a good job finding — building relationships with students right out of the gate,” St. Martin added. “It might take some people a little bit to get used to that, but he’s just jumped right in and he’s doing a good job so far.”
Apart from supporting his students, Tregellas considers himself a big sports fan. Cheering on his favorite teams: the Packers, Brewers, and Bucks. Before IT, he coached girls basketball at St. Anthony’s High School in Milwaukee. And now, living 40 minutes away, creates an obstacle for coaching again. Although, in the future, he said he thinks he could get back into it.
“I love playing golf,” Tregellas said. “Other hobbies other than golf, I play basketball probably 2-3 days a week and just like to stay active.” Excited for the future, Tregellas hopes to build relationships with the students.
“I’m just super excited to work here,” Tregellas said. “All the students and staff that I’ve met so far here are really nice. I’m looking forward to being here for a long time.”