Angela Rabeno, East’s newest Italian teacher, is quite an adventurous individual. She was born and raised in Italy and arrived in the U.S. at the age of ten. As a youth, she excelled at school. As a pastime she would play and have fun like any other child would, but she would also lend her intelligence to her friends by tutoring them. Since her residence in Italy, Ms. Rabeno has always desired to be a teacher. As soon as she stepped foot in the U.S., Ms. Rabeno strove to make her dream a reality.

Ms. Rabeno began at St. Joseph college in Connecticut, but ended up transferring to Stony Brook. Ms. Rabeno returned to Italy as a student abroad, and she was able to delve right back into speaking the Italian language. Even though she teaches Italian, she is also fluent in French and has a degree specializing in both languages. While in college, Ms. Rabeno worked at the college library during the year and at City Hall, departments of Tax Collecting and Town Clerk. After college, Ms. Rabeno jumped right into being a teacher. Prior to this year, she worked at Great Hollow Middle for a full year as a leave-replacement teacher. Ms. Rabeno really loves this school so far, and feels as if everybody is so welcoming and kind.

She is very outgoing and loves to try new things. She was even willing to tell me a story of one of the craziest things that she’s ever done. While vacationing in Nova Scotia, when the tides were high and courage was low Ms. Rabeno was able to do the unthinkable. As the waves rushed in towards the shore, she hopped in a boat and rode the waves. Yes! A boat. Not a surfboard or a jetski but a boat of all things.

Aside From her unbreakable spirit and generous demeanor, Ms. Rabeno has a family and loves to spend time with them when not teaching her pupils in the arts of the Italian language. She has four kids (Chiara, Mattea, Michela and Stefano) and a husband, Dr. Rabeno. When asked about what advice she would give her students she said, “Work hard, reach for higher heights and treat others as you would like to be treated.” Ms. Rabeno is a soul brimming with wisdom and has a few more interesting stories and adventures to share. If anybody is ever looking to talk about life’s greatest mysteries, look for Ms. Rabeno in room 329.

Photo credit: M. Morris