Glen Rock has jumped right into the new school year, but there’s some new additions that may have gone unnoticed. After Mrs. Bacolas’s decision to step down as assistant principal at the end of the 2023-24 school year, Mrs. Rivera joined the school district, alongside a new Middle School Assistant Principal.
Becoming the Assistant Principal was not always the plan for Mrs. Rivera. As a child, school was never easy for her, leading her to a career in Accounting. While she worked as an accountant for years, she never truly loved the job. She eventually found her way to working in the Linden School District as an Assistant principal and other educational positions.
Coming into Glen Rock, Mrs. Rivera was placed in a position that she knew was meant for her. Due to her previous working experiences, she left her job feeling that education was ruined and a lost cause. After learning about Glen Rock and what her possible future would entail, the academics and students drive for success sparked her interest.
Outside of GRHS, Mrs. Rivera is a very family-oriented person, who focuses all of her time on her husband and two children. The motivation and support she has gotten from her family when she went back to school has formed her into the person she is today and the person Glen Rock knows and loves. “If you invite me somewhere, you better expect that my husband’s gonna be there, because he’s my buddy, you know,” Rivera expressed.
While Mrs. Rivera’s job is about discipline, she puts all her focus and attention into making sure students are in the right place. Focus is her priority for students, wanting them to put their time and effort into school, setting up their futures. “Snapchat will always be here, right? But this time, these four years, and then your next four years, and hopefully, three years after that, depending on what you guys want to do, you won’t get that time back,” Rivera claimed.
Even though she has only been here a month, she has inspired and encouraged students to follow a path that will lead them to success. “In the short time that she’s been with us, I think she’s really started making connections with the students, and I always see her starting from a place of empathy… I always see her leading with that lens of ‘let me understand what’s happening here’. So I really love that about the approach that she has with students,” Mrs. Giurlando shared.
