Alexis Kozak Named Middletown
High School South Teacher of the Year
Alexis Kozak has been named
Middletown High School
South’s Teacher of the Year.
He is in his 16th year at South
and currently teaches Drama, Drama
workshop, Theatre Ensemble,
Stagecraft and Play Production.
In addition, he has served as the
director of more than 25 productions
of the school’s Southside
Theatre.
His career as an educator
began with teaching English to
Spanish-speaking factory workers
in the San Fernando Valley for two
years. A three-year stint as a high
school mathematics teacher in
Los Angeles followed. Upon returning
to New Jersey, he taught
algebra and geometry at Bishop
Ahr in Edison for one year before
joining the faculty at South.
He was raised in Vineland
and graduated as valedictorian
of his class at Sacred Heart High
School. He went on to Rutgers
where he attained a bachelor’s
degree in Theatre Arts and English.
Later, he earned a master’s
in Playwriting from Boston University.
Kozak met his wife, Barbara,
in the rst week of his freshman
year at Rutgers; she was a junior
at the time and the director of a
play that he auditioned for.
“It was hate at rst sight,” said Alexis. “She thought I was a really cocky
freshman, but she thought I was funny enough to cast in the play.”
He initially dated Barbara’s best friend for a few years. “Eventually,
when the friend and I broke up, Barbara and I started dating, fell in love and
got married,” said Kozak.
The couple has been married 13 years, and the family has grown to
four. They have been blessed with two sons, 10-year-old Yiorgos and 3-yearold
Alexis, named after both his father and grandfather.
Kozak points to writing as his true passion. He has penned several
plays and adaptations that have been staged at Southside Theatre and elsewhere.
Alexis Kozak provides guidance to Southside Theatre cast members during a recent rehearsal.
“I love to write,” he stated. “Not just seeing the words on the paper
when I am done, but the actual process of sitting down to the act of writing
every single day. It centers me. It gives me purpose. It claries for me how I
see the world. It brings me peace.”
26 APRIL 2020 | TheJournalNJ.com
BY LES PIERCE
A monologue authored by
Kozak will appear in the book
“Monologues From New Plays
2021,” which is scheduled to be
published by Applause Books.
His works as a playwright are described
at AlexisKozak.com.
His zeal for writing is connected
with his love for theater.
Several years ago, the Count
Basie Center for the Arts instituted
a program to promote theater in
county high schools. The program
included assessment of local productions
and awards for superlative
performances. The awards
are referred to as “Basies.” Kozak
has received four Basies – for Outstanding
Direction three times
(“Evita,” “The Diamond As Big As
the Ritz,” “American Idiot”) and
once for Outstanding Set Design
(“Rimers of Eldritch”).
He names his second passion
to be soccer. Currently he
is enjoying being his son’s soccer
coach and the bonding that
comes with it.
Kozak described how he approaches
his role as an educator,
stating, “I think that you look at a
student not as a student, but as a
person, as a whole human being,
and you say, ‘What is this person
good at? Where can they grow?
What could that growth look
like?’ The religious icons of the world, Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed, were
all teachers. Is there any more noble or higher calling than to help people
improve themselves?”
Middletown High School South Principal Matthew Kirkpatrick stated,
“Kozak is a remarkable educator who pours his heart and soul into the
growth of his students and to High School South’s arts department. He
challenges students to work outside of their comfort zones and he inspires
them to explore their creativity. He allows students to be raw and genuine,
and strongly encourages them to take risks. His dedication to his profession
and his passion for the dramatic arts are evident from the moment his
students meet him. The entire Middletown High School South community
would like to congratulate Mr. Kozak on this recognition and to thank him
for all that he does. This is indeed a well-deserved honor.”
/TheJournalNJ.com
/AlexisKozak.com