With this article, we launch a regular series of reports that explore life and work in the Berkshire Hills Regional School District. We will be sharing student and staff news as well as reports about learning activity, with the goal of increasing communication between the community and its public schools. *** Editor’s note: The following was written by Sheela Clary in her capacity as a staff member of the Berkshire Hills Regional School District.
The 2024–2025 academic year is Theresa Girona’s 13th in Berkshire Hills Regional School District as a paraprofessional. Her role at W.E.
B. Du Bois Middle School has evolved in that time, and she has had the chance to introduce new practices to the school. It is a family affair for the Girona family, as Theresa’s daughter Mercedes Girona is the middle school Spanish teacher.
In an interview, the elder, Ms. Girona, says she got into the job, which she loves, by accident. How did you get into working in Berkshire Hills? I was home for 15 years with my kids.
I wanted to go back to work, but I wanted a schedule where I could be with them on vacations, days off. So I just started subbing at the elementary school. Had you worked before that? Yes, I had worked in reader service, at Berkshire Computer, many years ago, on Pittsfield-Lenox Road.
You know those little inserts in magazines where you have to fill out the questionnaire? That’s what we did. We did marketing, and we’d speak to all the people who advertised in the magazine.