Holmdel HS Names Bryan DeNovellis Teacher Of The Year

HOLMDEL, NJ - Before Holmdel High School television production teacher Bryan DeNovellis was a teacher, he had a successful career for 12 years on New Jersey News12 reporting on sports. Now, he’s translating the same skills he cultivated on television into a classroom environment: in fact, he has demonstrated his talents at Holmdel so well that he was recently named Holmdel High School’s Teacher of the Year.

“I guess you can call it a mid-life change of career. I loved sports broadcasting, and still do, but at 42, I began to think about what I wanted to do for the next 20 years,” DeNovellis told Patch, recalling that his career in broadcast news meant spending late nights and weekends away from family.

“The more I thought about what to do with my career, the more I thought about teaching. Not only could teaching give me the opportunity to watch my children play sports, but I could also teach something I was passionate about. It’s the best move I ever made. Becoming a teacher was the right move at the right time of my life. Other than being a parent, it’s the most rewarding job ever.”

But even though DeNovellis has discovered a new love for teaching since he started at Holmdel High School in 2012, he’s not too far removed from the journalism world. In fact, the educator still freelances for the same network in his spare time. It’s a feat he says he’s able to accomplish thanks to his supportive wife and family.

“I couldn’t do it without Cathy’s love and encouragement,” DeNovellis said. “Plus, teaching is the ultimate full-time job that allows me to freelance on weekends, nights and of course during the summer. Think about it. My school day could end by 2pm. That still leaves me enough time to go home, see my family, grab a bite and get to the next job by 3:30-4 p.m. if necessary.”

DeNovellis began teaching at Holmdel High School in September nearly nine years ago in what's served as his first and only teaching job. He now teaches three levels of television production: an introduction to production, video production and editing. And although he isn’t a Holmdel resident, the instructor touts a breezy 17-minute commute from his home in Old Bridge.

“My favorite part about being a teacher is working with the students. I’m a people person,” DeNovellis said. “I love being around the students and seeing the amazing productions and videos they create. The coolest thing ever is when you work with a student for three or four years and they come up to you to tell you they’ve found their passion in television or video production. That’s pretty powerful stuff.”

But although he reports an exciting career at Holmdel High School, teaching during the era of COVID-19 hasn’t arrived without its challenges. Like so many other educators, DeNovellis told Patch he had to get creative when students lost access to cameras during periods of remote learning.

“My biggest challenge as a teacher has come during the pandemic, no question,” he said. “It’s
taken the students out of the studio and away from the cameras. It was a shock to all of us, but after that initial shock, we were able to come up with a pretty good Plan B. We found new tools and software. We kept learning and doing. And best of all, we still have fun.”

For DeNovellis, one of the greatest joys of teaching is showing students their own potential. The educator says that he hopes students take away life skills from the classroom, such as effective communication, time management, accountability, giving great effort and collaboration, even if they don’t pursue a career in production.

“I really don’t look at myself as a standout educator. I just think of myself as someone who’s passionate about television production and editing,” he said. “It’s tons of fun. When the students walk into the TV studio or the editing lab for the first time, they are amazed at all of the incredible equipment at their fingertips. All I do is show them how to use the equipment and encourage them to do great things. They’re the ones who make me look good.”