Hawthorne High School has had an amazing 20 years with Mrs. DiGeronimo and she has made such an impact on many students.
She first began at Hawthorne as a student, later returned as an English teacher, and eventually went back to school to become a librarian. Mrs. DiGeronimo has been the kind of librarian every school hopes to have, dedicating so much time, care, and passion to the students and the school community. It is truly sad to see Hawthorne’s beloved librarian say goodbye. She will be greatly missed, and the library will not be the same without her joyful presence and genuine love for sharing reading and learning with others.
To start us off, our wonderful librarian Mrs. DiGeronimo was asked a number of questions regarding her leaving, the final weeks of school, and the month of June in the library. We started off by asking, “How long have you been working in Hawthorne High School? Did you have multiple positions?”
Mrs. DiGeronimo replied with, “I came in 20 years ago to teach English, and moved into the library in 2013. However, when coming into the library, I had to go back to school for another masters degree in Library Science.”
Next, Mrs. DiGeronimo was asked, “How does it feel for your journey at HHS to come to an end due to the Library Media Specialist position being abolished?” Mrs. DiGeronimo expressed that she felt both saddened and concerned by the decision. She explained that she had not planned on retiring and deeply cares about the students and the important benefits they receive from having a certified librarian in the school. She emphasized her concern that, without a certified librarian, HHS students may not develop the information literacy skills they need. In today’s world, where misinformation and fake news are so widespread, she admitted that she worries about how students will learn to properly evaluate information and sources.
Mrs. DiGeronimo also expressed why she felt sad, stating, “ I think I feel sad for me because I had hoped to stay longer, but I feel concerned for students because I feel the students need the resources of a certified librarian media specialist.”
Mrs. DiGeronimo stated, “Many students and teachers have taught me so much.”
The next question for Mrs. DiGeronimo was, “What fascinated you while working as a librarian?”
Mrs. DiGeronimo stated, “Intellectual curiosity, watching kids grow and explore. I wanted to always have the globe, and when I got one, students loved to look at it. Students also loved going back through year books, looking at old names in the yearbooks and saying how they didn’t have the old names nowadays. I’ll miss watching kids be curious and asking questions and feeling like they have a place to go to and ask questions. I’ve worked hard to make it a welcoming safe space, so if you say something unkind, you’ve got to go.”
We then asked what was going on during the month of June, and during the last weeks of school. Mrs. DiGeronimo said that there was a Pride collection for Pride month, graduation decorations hung up for graduates, featured celebrations, and more.
She also stated that there was a pizza party for the Book Club, and she encourages people to keep reading! She also wanted to share a favorite quote of hers said by Sidney Sheldon. The quote is, “Libraries store the energy that fuels the imagination. They open up windows to the world and inspire us to explore and achieve, and contribute to improving our quality of life.”
When asked if she had any final words, she stated, “I absolutely loved it…It is very hard, but it’s the best job.”
To conclude, Mrs. DiGeronimo is sad to go but knows she did so much for this school. She not only taught here, but she has learned from the experiences she has had at Hawthorne High School and is going to take it with her on the rest of her journey. Though her story is ending here she still has much to learn and so many stories to tell to others about her experience. If you get a chance to stop by the library, tell her thank you!