ABOUT
Henryk "Mr. T" Teraszkiewicz
Founder and Principal
Hey there backyard explorers! I’m Henryk “Mr.T” Teraszkiewicz, the founder of ReConnect24, LLC. I started my journey in STE(A)M and outdoor exploration early in my life with my civil engineer father, who was as much a home inventor/explorer/artist (read mad scientist) as anything else! I often found myself in scrapyards, helping to pull an electric motor or pump from an old car or clothes washer to create home hydroponics for our vegetable gardens, power up a kick-wheel to make pottery, or any number of diy solutions! I was very fortunate to be brought up to be as comfortable with a wrench in my hand as I was with a hiking stick or computer keyboard. Traveling around the world to visit museums, zoos, national parks, and cultural/historical attractions was my religion. Thus, I continued my own journey by earning a degree in environmental sciences from Binghamton University, but it wasn’t until a summer camp job as the camp nature counselor that I realized my passion for education, which set me on my true path.
I founded the consultancy in 2015 after serving as the Executive Director of the Woodcock Nature Center for a wonderful 16 years! Having created a thriving soup to nuts education program from the ground up and managing a 149 acre natural preserve, I found that after so many years, I had become a victim of my own success. I entered the environmental field due to a passion for science, nature, and most of all education. Creating and implementing programs and interactive displays designed to excite and enthrall people of all ages is what drives me, but as I became more successful as an Executive Director and the more the program grew, the further away that I was pulled from those passions.
Thus, ReConnect24 was born. I realized that my place in the environmental community was best served in reconnecting people to the natural wonders that are all around them everyday (all 24 hours of it)! If we can develop in people a wonder for, or at least an interest/appreciation for the natural world and all of its phenomena, then they will have a reason to protect it. Rather than point out all that is wrong, I want people to feel the same magic that I do when exploring science and nature. So, we tailor interactive/hands-on programs and displays that are designed to entertain as much as they are to educate! This venture has been the realization of a life’s journey, and has led to so many new and exciting opportunities, including a new YouTube show, “YardX,” a role as “Mr. T, Science Teacher” on the Pinna (©) Podcast company’s show “Search for Wildthing”, and a chance to create and be a “mad scientist” like my father before me!
Kelly "Mrs.T" Teraszkiewicz
Education Expert
Hi, I’m Mrs. T, current 4th grade teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary School. I originally earned an economics degree from Providence College, but I always felt the pull towards working with children, which was confirmed during my summer jobs as a camp counselor, where as it happens, I also met Mr. T! Thus, I went on to get my elementary teaching certification, two Masters in education, and have been at it ever since. I love teaching STEM and challenging my classes with creative problem solving through such things as “Thinking Thursdays,” where we introduce situations, questions, phenomena, etc and use “outside the box” thinking and group dynamics to test hypotheses and create solutions.
Like Mr. T, I share a love for the outdoors, travel/adventure, and exploring with our two kids. I’m a gardener, bee keeper, Scouts of America den leader, and former semi-professional volleyball player, so needless to say, I appreciate an active lifestyle. I’ve helped both my son AND daughter to become Eagle Scouts, taught them to beekeep, and made sure they were scuba certified by age 12 so that we could really maximize our travel adventure… which we do! We visit and camp in the National Parks and try to travel as often as life allows.
At ReConnect24, I bring 25+ years of elementary education experience to our program design, in addition to honing them for “real world” use through my own classroom. I’ve been trained EXTENSIVELY in the NGSS and the Common Core, and am able to be sure that everything that we do excels at those standards and beyond. I also help out during my summer break with our Outdoor Explorers summer camp program, which actually takes place in the nature preserve behind my school.
