By Grace Buffone and Emma West

Mrs. Marci D’Onofrio is a well-known, long time ninth grade Westborough High School science teacher. She lives with her husband and 18 year-old step son. D’Onofrio also has a 20 year-old step daughter studying at UNH. Growing up alongside two older brothers, she laughs, “A lot goes with being the youngest of two brothers.” She continues by saying most of her family lives locally and she really enjoys them being close.

Growing up in Worcester, MA, D’Onofrio enjoyed running on her school’s track and cross country teams. She continued her schooling at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, MA, studying Civil and Environmental Engineering. Following WPI, D’Onofrio attended Antioch University in New Hampshire where she earned her teaching degree.

Admitting that she never originally wanted a career as a teacher. it is ultimately where D’Onofrio ended up. She started out working in the field of engineering. Following that, she explored theatre, which became one of her hobbies that she continues to enjoy now.

D’Onofrio’s got her first teaching job working at Nature’s Classroom Sharon, MA. She realized she loved being able to help kids learn, but didn’t like the fact that it was hard to develop a connection with the kids, because students attended for only about a week at a time.

While later teaching seventh and eighth grade at Holy Name Junior High School is Worcester, MA, she faced the choice of teaching science or math. D’Onofrio felt that at that time, science would be the right place for her as it offered a curriculum which she could choose and design lesson plans to suit all student needs and likings. She later began teaching at Westborough High School where she was much happier. “I like the conversations that we get into in the ninth grade about the actual content. That’s what I missed in seventh and eighth grade – we couldn’t talk about anything in depth,” she explains.

Choosing and designing effective lesson plans continue to be a priority for D’Onofrio. She considers the accessibility for all types of learners; she wants to find a balance between challenge, realistic expectations, and enjoyability. “Each class, and each person is different,” she explains. Listening is incredibly important when it comes to teaching. Verbal feedback and results on assessments and projects help her know how she is doing, what she can improve on, and what is working for her students.

When asked what she enjoys most about teaching, without hesitation she replies, “The students.” She enjoys their personalities, and especially “when people are trying and when they’re understanding.” She loves talking with her kids in class (whether it’s about class or not) and developing student-teacher relationships.

In her free time D’Onofrio enjoys traveling, singing, and running. She says the most interesting places she has been are either New Zealand or Belize. When asked where she wanted to go in the future, she said Hawaii, Germany, and Italy. Next year she is traveling to the Galapagos Islands with the school which she is very excited about.