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Two of Sandia Prep’s most beloved educators are in the spotlight this month. The August issue of Albuquerque the Magazine features biology teacher Ernest Polansky and Associate Director of College Counseling Dr. Chuck Buxbaum among the city’s longest-tenured teachers.

Between them, Polansky and Buxbaum have dedicated a remarkable 88 years to inspiring Sandia Prep students.

Polansky, Prep’s former Science Department Chair, joined the school in 1980 and has six decades of teaching experience overall. He teaches molecular biology, genetics, microbiology, and chemistry, and also serves as a 10th-grade advisor. Known for his rigorous courses, Polansky is equally known for the way his lab-based lessons spark curiosity. “That’s where the students get really excited,” he told the magazine, “because they see ‘Wow, this really does work,’ or ‘Oh, it doesn’t always work the way the paper and the books say it does.’ ” Alumni often credit Polansky with their college and career success and make a point to visit him when they return to campus.

Buxbaum spent 28 years at Prep as a science teacher -- taking a sabbatical year to teach in Vietnam -- before retiring last spring. He planned to pursue addiction counseling, but when a position opened in Prep’s college counseling department, he jumped at the chance to return. Over the years, he taught everything from 7th-grade science to Comparative Anatomy and Environmental Science, and now serves as an 11th-grade advisor. “As a college counselor, I feel like I’m helping package the final product of our process,” he told the magazine.

Sandia Prep is proud to see two such dedicated and accomplished educators recognized for their decades of impact.

Read Polansky's Profile Here

Read Buxbaum's Profile Here