After 28 years of working in Special Services, Noreen Devlin is preparing to retire. Known for her kindness and warm heart, Noreen has been an essential part of Special Services. What Norren will miss the most is her team downstairs and the devoted students. Noreen didn’t know a lot about Special Education when she first started at Braintree High.
“It was an opportunity to have a job with summers off, and I thought it sounded interesting. We just bought a house down the Cape. So the way it affected my family is that we would have the whole summer, we would go to the Cape for the whole summer. My boys were in the third and sixth grade. And then I think that my family learned more about my job and became more empathetic and understood special education, because your family is involved with it.”
Although Noreen is excited to go into retirement, she is sad to say goodbye to all the amazing friendships she’s made along the way.
“The people, you can tell from down here. How fun it is. How lucky we are, because all the special educators are amazing, even though it looks to you like we’re having so much fun, they’re really helping kids all the time. And they’re devoted to students. And I love and admire them.”
Reflecting on her time at Braintree High, Noreen shares a story about a student who came back.
“This was years ago, and a young man came in, he was probably in his 30s and he was looking for one of the teachers down in the alternative school. So I went and got the teacher and he was bringing him into the office, where I could hear everything he was saying. And he said, You changed my life. I would have been nothing, and I have a family, and I’m successful at a job, but he said, if not for this program, I would probably be in jail. And I never forgot it. I was sitting at my desk crying.”
As we celebrate Noreen’s retirement and look back at all the amazing memories and friendships she’s made, we honor her 28 years at BHS. Noreen plans to spend her retirement doing the things and being with the people she loves.
“Having fun, hopefully traveling, walking, exercising and yoga, seeing my grandson Miles more. Spending time with my family and friends.”
