ROSELLE PARK, NJ — Jason Chen and Elvis Marcelo graduated from Roselle Park High School, Class of 2020. Leila Torres Garcia will be graduating in 2024. Their futures look promising and they all individually credited one teacher as their inspiration: Mr. Raymond Bangs.
Bangs, a chemistry and physics teacher, has been a fixture at Roselle Park High School for 49 years. He’s currently working on his dissertation for his doctorate at Montclair State University. Douglas Larkin is his advisor and dissertation chairperson.
Sharing what stood out in Chen, Marcelo and Garcia, Bangs said, “They have been very receptive to new ideas. They’re very flexible. They are students who are self-directed learners. I feed off of their inspiration.”
Garcia was just accepted into Columbia University, where she’ll be studying biochemistry, but she said she is thinking of changing to chemistry. Science is a big thing for Garcia. It’s her most enjoyable class.
“Mr. Bangs sparked something,” she said.
Garcia is working on a school program analyzing a type of brain cancer cell. She volunteers at a local church. She also has a job in aftercare. “I love seeing the impact I have on little kids,” Garcia said. “It’s a rewarding field.”
In addition to Bangs, Garcia is also inspired by her mother.
Chen has been attending the University of Pennsylvania, with neuroscience as his major. He lives off campus in Philadelphia.
“Being in Penn helped me solidify what my career would be,” he said. He’s studying full time and plans on applying for a doctorate.
Also inspired by Bangs, Chen said, “He encourages his students to go above and beyond.”
In his future, Chen sees himself as a researcher in a lab. With his current involvement in research, he barely has time for anything else, but when he does, he likes going to the gym.
About to graduate Cornell University, Marcelo just accepted an offer to work for Facebook in Manhattan. At Facebook, he’ll be working on different apps. At Cornell, he’s studying computer science and philosophy with a minor in Spanish.
Originally, Marcelo was a chemistry student, but he said he didn’t want to do the research. But technology is something to which he’s always been attracted. “It’s a super broad field,” he said. “It’s a hot field to be in.”
Down the road, Marcelo said he plans to return to college to pursue a graduate degree in philosophy or humanities. “Or start my own company,” he added.
He only wants to work for a tech company for five years then pursue something else. “It will probably get boring,” he said.
Marcelo’s parents are from Peru. Seeing them grow and push through challenges and succeed has motivated him to go further. When Marcelo isn’t studying, he loves playing guitar and reading. He’s also inspired by Bangs.
What makes Bangs so special is that his Period Zero class, which originated in Rochelle Park in 2016, gives students an opportunity to explore anything they want to in the way of learning — psychology, social sciences, robotics, electrical engineering and astronomy, to name a few. He helps plant the seed for the future.
“They develop an interest and have a focus when they apply to college,” he said. “My philosophy is ‘Failure isn’t failure if you learn from it.’ You never really fail until you stop trying.”
Bangs looks for “hidden gems” in the class. “Kids who have an untapped potential,” he said. “I’m looking for the quiet student who may be bored and needs someone to take an interest in them. I try to help them identify a topic of interest outside the classroom, such as sports or music, and encourage them to make connections, so they can blossom.”
Photos by Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta