Each edition we want to ask a different teacher or staff member some questions about themselves. In future editions we will ask a faculty member your questions, and you can comment on them down at the bottom of this article, if you wish. This week we decided to ask Mr. Ristaino eleven different questions ranging in topics from his favorite animal to a life lesson he wants his students to learn. Here are the questions we asked, and his responses:

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in the epicenter of the universe in the most lovely city to have ever been created by human hand and spirit.

Why do you call your students cherubs?

I hope to inspire them to angelic behavior.

Did you play any sports as a kid?

I played many a sport when I was a little kid. When I was in high school, I decided to only play football and lacrosse. If I was going to play a sport when I was a young man there needed to be hitting involved.

What is the coolest thing you’ve ever done?

I once went to Spain for a wedding.  That’s probably the coolest thing I’ve ever done.

Do you have a favorite unit or period of history?

I do not. I like it all. I can’t limit myself to period of history. It’s all interesting to me.

If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life what would it be?

Buffalo chicken. Which is very versatile, you can have it on a salad, you can have it on its own, it can be on a pizza, in Mac and Cheese.

Do you have a favorite joke?

Uh no, I do not have a favorite joke.

What is your favorite animal?

You know what, I prefer cats to dogs.

Do you have a favorite story to tell?

No, and the reason why I say that is because it’s always situational.

Because you are so loud, should students down the hall get credit for your class?

Only if they pass the tests, write the papers, and do the projects.

A life lesson you want students to learn?

Kids often think that life is linear. That things go from point A to point B to point C, and there is no derivation from that. But reality is life is not linear. There is curves in the road, there is ups and downs, and you need to understand that as you are going through the different twists and turns, the ups and the downs. That is the nature of life. It does not progress smoothly. It is a bumpy, windy road. And you don’t know where it’s going to lead while you are on it.