Business is an important part of the outside world. With Solon High Schools’ (SHS) business class, students are more prepared for dealing with money in the future. Mr. Stircula, who teaches business, talks about his transition from Benedictine to Solon.   

Q: Mr. Stircula, how are you?

A: So far so good, it’s been an interesting transition, but it’s going well.

Q: Have you enjoyed the first five days, so far?

A: So far, yes I have. It’s been a totally different environment than I’m used to. Kids have been great, [the] staff here’s really great–  you can tell they really love teaching and want to help kids.

Q: So to get a little more background on you, where did you grow up and where did you go to high school?

A: I grew up in Garfield Heights, Ohio. I went to High School at Benedictine as a 97’ graduate and then also taught there for the past 18 years.

Q: So you graduated, taught there for 18 years and now over here at Solon?

A: Now making the switch to Solon, and while I was at Benedictine I was the Head Basketball Coach there as well.

Q: Are you excited to be, I know it’s kinda different now being assistant basketball coach, but are you excited?

A: Yeah definitely I’m always excited with a new challenge and being assistant with coach DeCesare , I’ve known coach DeCesare for a long time so it’s kind of an easy transition. It’s just been a lot of things I’ve learned from him already, just how his demeanor with the kids [is] and compared to mine, it’s a good contrast of the two.

Q: So before Solon, you taught at Benedictine, how is it adjusting to the atmosphere of Solon High School?

A: Well, it’s totally different. At Benedictine, I was only teaching all boys, so that was totally different, and then I had to kind of adjust my curriculum a little bit just because of Solon not being a part of the School of Business, currently. So, I adapted to the Solon way.

Q: Is there any teacher or other administrator that’s helped you out the most coming to a new school? To have your back or anything?

A: Bill Nyerges, he’s my mentor and the department chair for us for the art department. He’s been great, helping me out [to] learn the ways, and also Mr. Nowak in the guidance office.

Q: Is there anything else you would like to add?

A: Hopefully students [will] want to sign up for business classes. I know my entrepreneurship class, that’d be the second semester, is a college credit offering where students could get three hours from the University of Iowa for completing the course, then passing the test with a 70% and also, hopefully, get the whole High School of Business program in and that offers college credit as well to universities around Ohio and then around the country.

Solon High School offers a warm welcome to Mr. Stircula and  will see him courtside this winter.