One of the few teachers that’s the most known throughout the halls of the Middle School is Caesar Fabella who came to Poly in 2001. When listening to those who had him in Middle School, it is clear that students love Fabella as both a teacher and a person. This past Homecoming, Fabella received formal recognition for his impact on the Poly Prep community in the form of a Spirit Award. The Spirit Award is given to a faculty member at Poly Prep every year by the Alumni Association Board of Governors. The award was previously given to people such as Poly’s former Director of Music and now Head of Middle School Dan Doughty, Math Teacher Sabrina Laricchia, and Lower School PE teacher and high school baseball coach Matt Durando. However, this year, the award was given to two faculty members, one of whom was Fabella. According to Poly’s website, the award is given “to a Poly faculty or staff member who embodies the values and spirit that Poly seeks to represent as an institution and encourage in its students.”
Fabella responded by saying that he was surprised to receive the award, noting the many others who he believed deserved it “more than” him. Fabella’s co-advisor for sixth-grade advisory and French teacher, Francois Monroc, said, “I think what was really great was that when he received the awards, he didn’t make it about himself, but he talked about all the people that are impacting this community. So I think for me, he was the perfect person for this award.” It is clear that Fabella deserves this award not only for his long-time contributions to the Poly community but also for his good character overall.
The Spirit Award is not Fabella’s first Poly award. According to the Poly Prep website, his lesson plans received the “Poly’s Master Teacher Award” in 2020.
Fabella’s teaching career started in 1982, forty-two years ago, and his Poly career began in 2001, twenty-three years ago. After all this time, Fabella’s award is “long overdue,” Monroc noted.
With a lengthy teaching career that has brought him from the Philippines to France and finally to Dyker, Fabella said that he has reached a point in his career where retirement has become a significant consideration.
To Fabella, his relationships with his students are the highlight of his job. “They have forgotten what I taught them in history, but what they remember the most are those times when I’ve reached out to them, and we just hung out or we sang together. You know, remembering the guitar playing, the times that are not really structured, not really part of the school day, but it mattered to them because someone, an adult, listened to them,” said Fabella.
Students share a very similar sentiment about his personal approach to teaching. “Mr. Fabella is not only an amazing teacher, but he acts like a friend,” said freshman Isabel Warwick. Freshman Tyler Chan said, “No matter how many years it has been since I had him as my actual teacher, he is one of the only teachers that I don’t currently have that I consistently greet and chat with within the halls.” Freshman Arhan Sengupta agrees and said, “I feel like he really loves all his students, and he still says ‘Hi’ to me in the hallways, even though I had him three years ago now, and I know he just managed to keep his classes really entertaining.”
“My relationships with my students don’t just stop after I teach. You know that’s what I really, really care about,” said Fabella.
Not only do his students remember his kindness, but many recall the entertainment elements of his classes as a defining part of his teaching. “He really gets you much more engaged than most other history teachers just by letting you experience the things that other people were experiencing,” said Sengupta. “Something unique about him as a teacher is his projects and the way he grades us. I remember acting out a Mesopotamian courtroom to teach us about Hammurabi’s Laws and projects on the history of government and all of mankind,” 7th grader Asher Blumberg recalled.
In the “twilight” of his teaching career, Fabella wants to be remembered for his impact on the lives of his students and the relationships he builds with them. He wants all his students to find as much joy in their career as he has, advising them to “love what you do, because you’re never going to be working a day in your life because you’re happy. But when time flies so fast, and you’re always challenged, it’s always different.”
