Warde's "Wonderful World of Dizney" Celebrates 35 Years

Mr. Patrick Dizney began his teaching career at Andrew Warde High School in the Autumn of 1973. Thirty-five years later the veteran educator has no plans to retire anytime soon.

"(I plan on teaching) as long as I am physically able and enjoy my classes," he wrote to me via email this past weekend. "I teach computer technology, drafting, and woodworking."

Mr. Dizney says today's students are different from their counterparts of over 30 years ago. "The students of the 70s were more hands-on and had hand skills that they developed at home with their fathers or other family members," he wrote. "Today's students have more of an academic background and (have) not developed the hand skills of the (students of the) 70s."

Even though he started his teaching career well before computers became an integral part of education and daily life, Mr. Dizney always enjoyed working with them. "I always liked computer technology since high school, and I am always staying current, upgrading my skills as things change," he added. "The new teachers have many of these new technology skills that they learned as a child."

Mr. Dizney was raised in Bridgeport and Trumbull, and he attended Notre Dame High School, Housatonic Community College, Central Connecticut State College, Fairfield University, and Southern Connecticut State College.

His wife, Kathy, an Andrew Warde High School graduate, works with him at Warde. "She currently is the coordinator for the College Career Center at FWHS. Our children attended Trumbull schools and attended UConn and Yale."

When Mr. Dizney began his career in education at Andrew Warde in 1973, he was one of the top graduates in the Industrial Arts program at Central Connecticut State College. He has taught Woodworking, Graphic Arts, Drafting, Computer Tech, and Tech Math the last 35 years.

He admitted that there weren't many challenges when Warde and Ludlowe merged into Fairfield High School in the mid 1980s. "We had a large enrollment and easily expanded the program," he wrote. "Every Tech Ed teacher became and was a specialist in their area."

His best memories at Warde? "Working with some outstanding students (such as) Floyd Scholz (1976) and many, many others," Mr. Dizney admitted. "The list is too long."

Mr. Dizney says there is one simple reason for his longevity at Warde: "Teaching what I enjoy and enjoying the students." And the students have been most fortunate to have Mr. Dizney as their educator over the past 35 years.

Paul

Please sign the AWHS Guest Book.

Visit the Andrew Warde High School Gift Shop.

Watch the AWHS 1976 vintage "film."