By Contributing Writer’s Dzenisa Hodzic (’28) and Gabriel Lewis (’27)

Robert Sweeney is the new teacher in the technology department at Jamesville-DeWitt High School. Before coming to J-DHS, he taught at West Hill High School for four years. He currently teaches photography, digital editing, and woodworking.

As a kid, Sweeney always dreamed of becoming a race car driver, but due to the high cost he was never able to fulfill his childhood dream. This dream still carries on with him but he realized his passion for technology later on in life. During his high school years, his mentor continued teaching him various things about technology and because of this, he found interest in photography and digital editing.

Sweeney was indecisive on a major for college but his mentor explained to him the many benefits of being a teacher. What caught his eye was the summers off that teachers received and so he decided to give education a try. While applying to colleges, Sweeney favored the teaching program offered at the college of SUNY Oswego so he majored in teaching but also picked up on wood working and various other skills. After he graduated, he went on to begin teaching at West Hill High School.

Sweeney did find a great friend in one of the other staff members at West Hill. Through him, he learned about a new opportunity at J-DHS and decided to make the switch. Sweeney met the criteria for the job as he has skills in various areas of technology, although he’s never taught the classes before. He submitted his application in the summer of 2024 and joined the Jamesville-DeWitt High School staff in the fall of the same year.

Sweeney enjoys the atmosphere that J-DHS has to offer and enjoys the energy that his co-workers and students bring. He especially enjoys getting his students through the introduction of the skills and to the fun parts technology offers. He says he likes to go from “instructor to facilitator.” His favorite part about his job is when the introductions are done and everything gets rolling. “When the introduction is done, we can figure out what we want to do and start having fun,” he says. He is ready to expand students’ knowledge about technology and continue learning as each day brings a new challenge.