Interview with Mrs. Lazarus
Mercury: Is there a connection between your red attire and your red car to Peekskill High School?
Mrs. Lazarus: I am all about school pride. I’m the biggest cheerleader! I want to be in with the school, with the family, and when I was at Ketcham, I had the color of my car red because red is one of Ketcham’s school colors so when I came to Peekskill, I was very lucky to not have to change the color of my car.
Mercury: How would you describe your first few days at the high school?
Mrs. Lazarus: It is totally different and the same. It’s like a friend’s house that you visit; there is a kitchen, a family room, bedrooms, dining area, but some things are altered. PHS reflects its own unique style, a unique atmosphere. The first few weeks you are trying to figure out how thing are done; you learn about the “family”. Because students spend more time at school than at home, their school becomes their family and the first few weeks are all about becoming a part of the Peekskill family.
Mercury: If you could be an animal, what would you be?
Mrs. Lazarus: I have a collection of Velveteen Rabbits, actually, but they haven’t made it to my office yet. However, I would be a cat. Cats are very independent and in control. They choose who gets to pet them, and who they sit on or next to.
(Mrs. Lazarus also told Mercury about “Cats Eyes”; the cat’s eyes focus in on what is really important and look beyond the obvious, beyond what is already there, hence, why they have been quoted to have “9 lives”.)
Mercury: You mentioned seniors are you favorite of all High School classes, why? Do you still communicate with any of your old seniors from Ketcham?
Mrs. Lazarus: I love seniors. Freshmen don’t get it; they’re brand new to the school and have a lot to learn about its dynamics. Sophomores have been here for a year and think that they are hot stuff. Juniors are like deer in the headlights; they have so much going on with tests, college, and classes and trying to stay on point, but seniors are mature. Seniors know their way around the ropes and they are just fun to be with. I do keep in touch with some of the alumni and work with DECA (Distributive Education Club of America) sometimes. Some weekends I even go out for lunch with alumni, if we can.
Mercury: What do you feel is the most important thing for a high school to have?
Mrs. Lazarus: If I had to synthesize in one word what the most important thing for a high school to have I would say Respect. You treat others with respect and you’re guaranteed success; it comes full circle. You give what you get, and even though it is a cliché to say what goes around comes around, clichés become what they are because they are truth. Without respect there is distance and disconnect and when you’re at school, with your family, respect is needed to succeed as a whole.