Take Your Child to HHS

Top row: the Forshays, Goldriches, & Viggianos.
Second row: the Faddens, Barbosas, & Passeros

T. DiGeronimo

Top row: the Forshays, Goldriches, & Viggianos. Second row: the Faddens, Barbosas, & Passeros

Hawthorne High School participated in the 22nd annual Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day on April 23. On this day, staff was invited to bring their children to school to observe mom/dad in action. As little people walked from class to class, a few stopped to talk with The Clarion:

Danielle Forshay brought 9-year-old Caitlin and 11-year-old Matt to observe her work with our life-skills students. Caitlin thought the day was “awsome.” When told she could come to school with her mom, Caitlin “thought it would be cool. I get to go to high school and see my mom teach other kids. I get to see lockers and classrooms and desks. It’s very different from my school.” Brother Matt added, “It was weird watching my mom work with other people. She was trying to be funny, but it didn’t work.”

School psychologist, Yaron Goldrich, introduced 10-month-old Maayan and 3-year-old Kobey to HHS with a trip to the library where Kobey admitted that he loved books.

Ten-year-old Scarlet Barbosa accompanied her dad, Jesus, throughout his teaching day. When asked to describe her dad as a teacher, Scarlet said, “He’s just like he is at home: kind and caring.”

Speech-language specialist Lisa Viggiano brought 8-year-old Sam along as she traveled from Lincoln Middle School to the high school, showing Sam exactly why she can be so tired at the end of the day. When asked what his mom does all day, Sam was quick to answer: “She helps people.”

Coach John Passero’s son Dominick also dropped by. Dominick said he thought his dad was a good teacher because “one: he’s my dad, and two: he’s good at math.”

Math teacher Pam Fadden brought 6-year-old Olivia to school armed with a pile of her favorite books to read. Olivia said she enjoyed her mom’s geometry lesson because she already knew how to do the work!

Twelve-year-old Jenny Miller spent the day with her 15-year-old sister watching mom, Amy Miller, teach biology, environmental science and animal behavior.

The official website of the Take Our Daughters And Sons To Work program explains the goals: “Designed to be more than a career day, the Take Our Daughters And Sons To Work program goes beyond the average practice of “shadowing” an adult. Exposing girls and boys to what a parent or mentor in their lives does during the work day is important, but showing them the value of their education, helping them discover the power and possibilities associated with a balanced work and family life, providing them an opportunity to share how they envision the future, and allowing them to begin steps toward their end goals in a hands-on and interactive environment is key to their achieving success.”