As if AHS is not losing enough teachers for next year, our highly esteemed math teacher Jamie Hozack will be leaving the community, and moving on to bigger and better opportunities. Hozack is becoming the Assistant Principal of Basalt High School in the fall of 2014.

“I have been looking to get into school leadership for a few years now, so when the position opened up, I jumped on it,” Hozack said.

Hozack has been a math teacher at AHS for twelve years, starting from the time he first moved to Aspen. Hozack was born and raised on the East Coast; he lived in New York City and New Hampshire.

“Although I spent a big chunk of my life on the East Coast, I consider Aspen more of a home and I am extremely familiar with the valley,” Hozack said.

As Hozack has developed a deep connection and love for Aspen through all the years he has been a part of the school district, there are going to be many things he will miss; however, he is looking forward to the new and different opportunity coming his way.

“There are a lot of things I am going to miss about the school; there are amazing people in the school district. The kids in Aspen are kind, motivated, and interesting; the same goes with teachers, families, the administration and the community,” Hozack said.

To fill the void in the math department without Ian Wagner and Hozack, AHS has hired three new teachers for next year. Math substitute Josh Anderson has been hired, and will be trained to teach IB. In addition to Anderson, there have been two other teachers hired: Amanda Martin and Kiffor Berg.

“There is not a teacher who was hired to necessarily replace me, but there will be three new math teachers, and all the current teachers will be training to teach IB this summer. Me leaving, in some way, is making a positive impact on the math department because more teachers are being forced to teach IB classes,” Hozack said.

Although Hozack will still be in our valley and geographically close, his presence in the halls and classrooms of AHS will be sincerely missed by all who have had the honor of getting to know him, and have had the privilege of being his student.

“I really enjoyed having Jaime as a teacher this year, and am going to miss having him around next year,” AHS junior Caroline Godfrey said.