East Rockaway teacher Scott Gerken retiring after 38 years

After nearly four decades of shaping young minds in the classroom and on the field, Scott Gerken is saying goodbye to East Rockaway Junior-Senior High School and will retire at the end of the year.

Once a strict, by-the-book teacher, his colleagues and students said he grew into a school mainstay known for patience, humor and heart — one they said they won’t forget.

“There is one adjective that describes very few of us, but encapsulates what Mr. Gerken is: irreplaceable,” said Assistant Principal TJ Terranova. “Staff members know they can turn [to him] for wisdom and, when needed, a day-changing corny dad joke.”

Gerken, 63, began teaching at the school in February 1987, stepping in during a colleague’s medical leave. Over the next 38 years, he primarily taught life science to seventh graders and later led anatomy and physiology and EMT courses that brought science to life through hands-on labs and real-world applications.

“What I enjoy most is seeing students get excited about learning, especially in the lab,” Gerken said. “When they’re doing the work themselves, you see them start to think critically instead of waiting to be handed all the answers.”

Former student Isabella DeCunzo said Gerken could even make a “science hater” love the subject.

“He is always willing to help, whether in his own class or just life itself,” she said.

Gerken also made a lasting impact through athletics by coaching both football and softball since the early 1990s. In 1995 he launched the school junior high football team — he fondly calls it “the minor leagues” — to help younger athletes prepare for JV.

Coaching gave him a new lens into his students’ lives. “In the classroom, they behave one way. But on the field, you see who they really are,” Gerken said. “You build a different kind of respect.”

That respect, he believes, flows both ways. “Once kids know you as a coach, they see you differently as a teacher. There’s more connection, more trust.”

While changes in science education and his own health played a part in his decision to retire, Gerken said he also looks forward to spending more time with family and maybe sipping a piña colada or two on the beach.

He will continue a summer job he enjoys with a pool maintenance company, owned by a former teacher friend. Beyond that, he’s open. “Come September, who knows?” he said.

Looking back on his career, Gerken said what mattered most was learning to truly listen. “You need to hear what they say and understand where it comes from,” he said of his students. “It took me a few years to get that.”

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