Farewell, Mrs. Byrne!

Mrs. Byrne has worked at North High School since 1988, an astounding 34 years. That is a pretty long time, but now it is her time to retire and fulfill her life with everything she has planned to do and accomplish. Throughout her time at North, she has made so many memories, not being able to pick a favorite! For her time she has been here and made friends whom she considers family. Her most memorable moments are students who have become teachers, businesspeople, and nurses. It has been a blessing to her to have had students’ parents as her students. In her time, she has advised SADD and changed so many lives for the better. The daily interactions with her students and getting to know them as people have always been unique to her in understanding their type of person.

She said her time here at North has been such a blast and roller coaster; however, what she is most looking forward to in retirement is spending time with her granddaughter, looking into becoming a life coach, doing some relaxation, and reading more. The age group she enjoys working with is 10-12 because that’s when teens start becoming young adults, mature and grow within their knowledge. Fun fact, her favorite subjects are Social Studies and English. She believes they both tell a story and spring so many different discussions about ideas/beliefs you may have about it. Funny memories she has are of Ms. Bobe and herself being the moms of Mr. Achatz and him playing tricks on them as a little kid would. Next year in April, she plans to visit two parts of Italy: Tuscany and Sicily.

She would not change her career choice for anything; she loves what she does and enjoys having a part in students’ futures and leaving an impact on them. I have chatted with Ms. Bobe, Ms. Mansfield, Ms. Bombardier, Ms. Lopez, and one of her SADD club members, Everton Prospere. They have all kindly shared their thoughts, moments they have shared with her, and the impacts she has left on them. People have said they will miss her most because of her positivity: how she has a big heart, kindness, selflessness, dedication to her work, and how she helps her students. She is just beyond words incredible and has an outshining personality. Everything she does always leads to success in helping her students who struggle to achieve their goals and succeed.

Teachers and students have made unforgettable memories with her, filled with love and laughter. They have noted her energy, positivity, enthusiasm, love, and care towards her students, effort, and power to push through any circumstances. Many people, including myself, have been impacted tremendously by her in so many beautiful ways. We will miss you so much, Mrs. Byrne!