Mr. Brown – By Maya Amir

Special education teacher Kevin Brown is retiring after 30 years of service in the White Plains City School District, but a career in education was not originally part of his plan.

“I didn’t go to school wanting to be a teacher…I was actually leaning towards law enforcement,” Brown said. He graduated from SUNY Oneonta with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, already equipped with experience working with adolescents in group homes and psychiatric hospitals.

While taking police examinations and working at New York-Presbyterian Westchester Behavioral Health Center, a friend recommended a job in the White Plains City School District—and the rest was history.

Brown began working at Eastview Middle School in 1996 while continuing his education at Manhattanville University, earning certifications in Special Education and History.

“I loved it there, but I wanted a new challenge, so I transferred to the high school. And I’ve been here for 21 years.”

Beyond teaching, Brown also ran the Special Olympics program for 17 years. “The kids were great.”

Looking toward the future, Brown hopes to spend more time with his wife and two children, return to old hobbies and begin traveling internationally—starting with Italy.

Ms. Adamiak – By Leila Rodgers

Ms. Adamiak, the secretary in the student activities office, has had a hugely impactful career at White Plains High School. From attending White Plains as a student to returning as an adult after her children were grown, Ms. Adamiak has developed a long history with White Plains, and she is so passionate about her job that leaving it is painful.

Ms. Adamiak has had such a positive effect on so many students, teachers and staff, and while we will all miss her dearly, she deserves time to explore new interests and to enjoy a slower pace of life. That will start with her new life as a snowbird, living in both Florida and New York, where she will have time to pick up new hobbies and time with her family.

“I want to try pickleball, and I want to try and learn mah-jong. And I just want to enjoy the relaxation of retirement,” Adamiak said. “And find time for me and my husband to do things together. Then, when I’m here, I have five grandchildren…they keep me busy, also.”

Finally, Ms. Adamiak’s parting advice for students and staff at White Plains High School is “follow your dreams and passions and do the best that you can. That’s it.”

We wish Ms. Adamiak the best of luck in her retirement. She will be missed!

Dr. Crowley – By Cristina Damato

Dr. Crowley, a valuable member of the WPHS faculty, is retiring after 36 years of teaching, 27 of them in White Plains. Dr. Crowley has a versatile skill set and has taught everything from learning lab to credit recovery to reading. She also works with school psychologists to do initial academic testing for the CSE and collaborates with assistant principal Ms. Figueroa to review and develop 504s for juniors and seniors.

Though teaching reading is her passion, Dr. Crowley finds educational assessments the most rewarding and meaningful.

“[It] gives us an opportunity to help students identify learning disabilities or emotional disabilities and then help them to get the support they need,” she said.

Dr. Crowley may be retiring, but, as a self-described “workaholic,” she is by no means done teaching. She earned her doctorate seven years ago in educational leadership at Manhattanville University with the intention of going into higher education.

“That’s really been my dream,” she said. “I really want to teach potential teachers in their teaching program.”

Dr. Crowley’s advice for high school students is simple: to make the most of their high school experience and, above all, stay off social media. For students and faculty alike, she emphasized the importance of supporting one another, especially through difficult times.

Teaching at WPHS has been more than a job for Dr. Crowley: “I’m looking at it more like a huge part of my life that I’m reflecting on over these 27 years,” she said. “I have loved my career here. I’m sad to leave but I know that it’s time to go.”

Mr. Roher – By Teresa Damato

Mr. Roher, a history and SAIL teacher, is retiring from White Plains High School after a 30-year teaching career. After earning a degree in sociology, Mr. Roher was a social worker until he had his “a-ha” moment while working as a teaching assistant in Edgemont Jr.-Sr. High School. It was then that he realized his true passion was to be an educator, so that he could give back to those that helped him with his own education.

Severely dyslexic, Mr. Roher didn’t learn to read or write until he was nearly 10 years old. He said that he decided to pursue a career in education “to pay forward the help I received as a learner.”

During his time at WPHS, Mr. Roher has taught a multitude of classes, including Earth Science, Algebra, U.S. and Global History, Economics and SAIL, among others. He described his favorite parts of being a teacher as reconnecting with graduated students and “watching students have their own ‘a-ha’ moments.”

Outside of teaching, Mr. Roher plays guitar and has traveled around the world competing in Ironman triathlons. He is now moving on to the position of Director of the Learning Center at Yeshiva University High School for Boys, the high school from which he graduated. Congratulations, Mr. Roher!

Mrs. Von Stein – By Amir Melibaev

After 24 years of teaching in the White Plains School District and 17 years at White Plains High School, Mrs. Von Stein is retiring. She says her favorite part of teaching has been building relationships with students and helping them realize they are capable of more than they imagine. One of her most meaningful memories was encouraging a student who doubted his abilities and later became a successful math teacher himself. Mrs. Von Stein hopes students remember that mistakes are part of learning, and that persistence is important. In retirement, she looks forward to spending more time with family, traveling, gardening and practicing yoga. Ms. Von Stein has made a great contribution to the WPHS community through her years of service, and we wish her happiness in her retirement.

Sra. Villarie – By Tomas McDermott

After 32 years of teaching and 20 years at White Plains High School, Sra. Villarie is retiring. Coming from a family of educators, she said teaching was always “in my blood.” Reflecting on her career, she noted that technology has changed how students interact, saying she misses the stronger face-to-face connections that once filled classrooms. Despite these changes, she will miss her students the most and hopes they remember how she pushed them to work hard and challenge themselves. Recalling a former student who returned to thank her for encouraging her to take the AP Spanish exam, Sra. Villarie said moments like that made her proud of her impact as a teacher. In retirement, she looks forward to traveling, focusing on her health and spending more time with her family.

Ms. Brumer – By Max Pollio

Ms. Brumer has been a government and economics teacher at White Plains High School for over two decades, and as she comes to her retirement, I took the time to ask her a few questions about her hometown teaching experience. Over her career, the biggest change she has seen is the introduction of technology into classrooms. While she recognizes that technology “makes submitting work, research work and grading a whole lot easier,” she believes that “students get enough screen time outside of the classroom,” and “the tools can be used for some good and some bad.”

One of the most memorable aspects of her teaching career has been the sense of community in White Plains, which she credits to the fact that all students are “together since sixth grade.” To build this community more, especially for new teachers, Ms. Brumer emphasized relating to students personally and getting out of the classroom to meet people from other departments.

Ms. Brumer, thank you for everything you’ve done at White Plains High School. On behalf of The Orange, we congratulate you on your retirement!

Mr. Moronta – By Eleanor Ingram

Antonio Moronta, a well-loved custodian at White Plains High School, is retiring at the end of the 2025-26 year. Over the course of his career, Moronta has served as the head custodian and worked hard to improve the district’s buildings and grounds. Moronta’s hard work and dedication have made a meaningful difference in our school environment and in our lives. We all thank him for his many years of service to the White Plains schools and wish him happiness in his retirement.

Also, congratulations to Mrs. Susan Sweeney on her retirement in February!

The Orange congratulates all the retiring teachers and wishes them the best of luck in the future!