By Danielle Ray, Senior Reporter
Longtime Houghton Elementary School fourth grade teacher Maureen Sullivan recently retired after 17 years teaching at the school.
“I will miss everything about teaching and Houghton school,” she said. “I have always loved this career, and I especially love the students and my colleagues.”
Sullivan grew up in Brimfield and attended Tantasqua Regional High School before receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in foods and nutrition from University of New Hampshire. She worked as a dietician out of college and has lived in Sterling for over 30 years with her family – husband Michael and their four grown children.
When her last child went to school, she decided she was ready for a change and began substitute teaching at Houghton in 2004.
“Teaching is a second career for me,” Sullivan said.
She began a Master’s in Education program at Lesley University while she was substituting and two years later, she began teaching fourth grade at Houghton, where she remained for 15 years.
“I’ve never left that grade,” Sullivan said. “I love seeing the growth in my students from September to June.”
Houghton Principal Tony Cipro calls Sullivan “a talented, hard working educator who has taught exclusively at Houghton.”
“Kind, creative, warm, caring, gentle, team player, true professional, dedicated, fully invested in the culture of Houghton which she helped create,” Cipro said of Sullivan. “Truly believes all children can learn.”
Sullivan said that while the COVID-19 pandemic did not influence her decision to retire, the 2020-21 school year “was certainly an interesting year with many challenges, but parents, students, and teachers rose to the occasion and made the best of it.”
“I don’t regret the experience of this year with my students and colleagues,” she said. “It was a huge learning curve for all of us and I’m proud of what we accomplished.”
Sullivan said she is looking forward to spending more time with her family and friends during retirement, especially her two grandsons who live in New York, and her siblings.
“My husband Michael and I want the freedom to spend September and October on the Cape and travel throughout the year,” she said. “I want to get back to some of my favorite hobbies and do some volunteer work.”
While she is excited for this new chapter in her life, Sullivan said she will certainly miss teaching and her time at Houghton.
“Houghton is a wonderful school with kind and caring teachers,” she said. “It has been an honor for me to work with the Houghton staff all these years.”