Applied arts teacher Marilyn McGrath is retiring after working at the high school for 22 years. McGrath also worked at the Middle School for 10 years before coming to the high school. McGrath has taught cooking, sewing, and the nursery school program.

She taught sewing in the middle school when she first started out teaching. After being transferred to the high school, she taught sewing, cooking, and the nursery program. “ My favorite thing to teach was the early childcare, the play school management was great. Seeing how much the students enjoyed what I did for them.” said McGrath

McGrath went to college at the UMASS Amherst.

Before working at SHHS,she student- taught at Holyoke High School.

McGrath said she in not looking forward to retirement. “The hardest part (of retirement) will be the relationships with the students, I felt a lot of love from them and I’ll miss them. I will miss that part.” said McGrath “The best part I think will be not getting up so early in the morning, I think that’s the only thing I’m really looking forward to, I can stay up at night and I can sleep in in the morning.”

During retirement, McGrath plans on substitute teaching. “Maybe I will do some subbing, I like being around the students and (teaching).” said McGrath

In the end, she said that what really matters is making a difference. “ I guess I feel accomplished too, I felt like I did something that was really important and made a difference.” McGrath said “I have worked in stores and done other things, and nothing really ever changed there. But here, I was able to give something of myself, my experiences and my knowledge, and I felt good about it.”