How long have you been teaching at AHS?

Eighteen years

What is your favorite part about AHS?

I work with some very talented teachers and staff. I meet some great students too that make my job fun and rewarding.

How did you decide that you would become a teacher? What inspired you?

I had a great biology teacher in high school and great teachers in college that really made me glad I decided to major in biology. I really didn’t know until after college that I wanted to teach. I loved science so much that I wanted to share my passion in hopes to inspire my students just as I had been inspired.

What is your favorite area of biology?

It’s biochemistry for sure, and genetics.

What is your favorite element and why?

(It’s) carbon, the element that is found in all organic compounds that make up all living things.

Where did you go to college?

Quinnipiac College (It was a college back then.)

What was your favorite class in college and why?

It was marine biology with Ken McGeary, the most interesting professor I had. He could make a lecture on marine polychaetes (worms) come alive and sound more interesting than anything I knew.

What are the best memories that you have had in your time at AHS?

(There are) too many to count! There was badminton with Ms. Doherty, she and I trying to play jokes on Mr. Moore over the years, (he always found out), the time I wrapped a former teacher’s car in saran wrap, and the school’s security got a little concerned, spending time with my teacher friends, open mic nights, and all the musicals and presentations (by kids) I have attended.  The list is endless!  

Why science?

I have always loved being outdoors. I grew up in a rural part of Marshfield next to my Salvetti grandparents. They were Italian immigrants who made their way to the US through Ellis Island. My grandfather farmed many acres of land, growing produce to sell at the Boston markets. My two brothers and I helped out on the ‘farm,’ Ploughing the fields with my grandfather was always a blast! My mom also grew up in a similar situation, so she and my dad had similar values. We ended up on a property in which we raised our own animals to eat and had huge gardens that we also helped out with. I ended up in the 4-H project as a teenager, showing sheep at fairs during the summer. I wanted to be a vet but I don’t like the sight of blood and I probably would have cried every time I would have treated a sick animal. I lived at the beach during the summer and I was always outside during the nice weather, working outside with the animals, gardening, helping my parents split wood to feed our three stoves during the winter.  Why science? It was and still is such an integral part of my life. Whenever I travel, I am always interested in the vegetation and habitats of the different countries I visit. 

Anything else you want to say?

I feel very blessed to do a job that I love. I have always and continue to enjoy my time at AHS. I hope to inspire many students, to have them work hard and NEVER give up their dreams.