Sana Elshafey contributed to this article.
As staff and students walk into the main entrance of Malden High School, to the right of the main entrance is the main office. The main office is known for signing in people who missed homeroom and were tardy, filing paperwork, and processing job permits. Barbara Scibelli is always seen there on her computer; most people recognize her name from the “Absent Teacher List” email sent every morning.
Scibelli plays a big role in the Malden High School, making sure everyone gets what they deserve for attendance. She has worked here for 20 years and even started the Special Needs Club. Scibelli holds a special place in everyone’s hearts here, smiling everywhere she goes.
She works as an administrative assistant at Malden High. She mentioned she greets people almost all day: ‘’I do a lot of things I love to do, the best thing is working with the students.”
Mary-Jo Urquhart, one of the PE teachers, has also been working with her for about twenty years and can only say how she has drastically changed lives.
As Scibelli has worked here, she described her Malden High School career as “the best years of my life, I loved it.” She shows great compassion for what she does for the students and the school. Scibelli cannot help but smile and radiate positive energy.
Scibelli explained the best part about working here is “Absolutely the students; students inspire me every day, the creativity, the inclusiveness, the students teach the adults about patience, leadership, and acceptance.”
As Scibelli thought about her retirement, “I have some plans after I stop crying.” She plans to travel with her husband to her dream country, Italy. She shows an interest in traveling, wanting to know all about other people’s adventures throughout their lives. Scibelli finds the fact that students know more than one language is extraordinary.
Working at a school requires a lot of dedication. Scibelli said “The one skill you need is patience and understanding. People are going through things so that’s why they may act the way they do, you can wake up in the morning and argue with your parents and or not have breakfast, and so we have to understand and not react.”
She talked about the advantages of speaking a second language that can get you anywhere around the world. “If someone were to come in with the same resume as me but speak more than 1 language, that would bump them up.”
“I just want to say that Malden High has the most wonderful students and most amazing educators, and working here has been part of my life. It’s always so impressive to see everyone do their thing every day,” said Scibelli
Malden High School will not be the same without her. She marks a big position here, with various students such as Katherine Alarcon, Isabel Jones, Taliyah Lature, and even Urquhart.
Alarcon is a student in the tenth grade and would like to add her opinions on Scibelli, “Every time I go to the main office, she’s been so sweet, she is always doing her job and I think she plays a big role in keeping the school organized.”
A lot of responsibility is on her, the main office is always full of people hoping to get a chance to speak to Scibelli and get help from her. She’s the helping hand of this school.
Taliyah Lature is also a tenth-grade student, and when she found out she was retiring, her jaw dropped in disbelief.
Lature mentioned, “I think Scibelli is a really amazing person who is so helpful. I’m going to really miss her because she really helped me get through my freshman year and informed me on how to get around the school. I couldn’t have done it without her.”
Lature will not only miss her but will be visiting Scibelli as well. “I’m going to go down to say hi to her at some point; I can’t believe she is actually leaving.”
A common similarity between these students and even Urquhart herself is the appreciation for Sciibelli’s passion for her job and the students, and her sweet personality that always puts a smile on anyone’s face.
It really shows how much Scibelli has helped improve the school and help the students and even staff. She wants to make a safe space for everyone where they feel comfortable and to better express themselves. This can be seen with the majority of students who have gone down and talked with her. While she may be busy due to the main office having to attend to various people, Scibelli will always look forward to having a quick conversation with you and make sure to put a smile on your face.
Scibelli is one of the most helpful staff we have had at Malden High School and she will be missed so deeply. All the impact she holds in the hearts of students and educators here just shows how much of a sweet and pure person she is. Malden High School will never be the same without her.
