Mother Daughter Duo Building a Legacy at Westpark Elementary
by Marilyn Santucci
Every day, Mary Lawrence gets into her car and heads to Westpark Elementary, where she has dedicated 17 years of service. But what makes this drive special is her passenger—her daughter, Megan. Eight years ago, Megan joined Westpark Elementary as a lunch and daycare monitor, and today, she proudly works as an integration aide in the same building as her mother.
Mary started as an office agent and later moved on to become the secretary where she as remained ever since. When speaking on what she loves most about her job, Mary says,
“I love being everybody’s mother. It’s the people, and interactions I have all day long. No two days are the same. I never know what to expect and it keeps my life fresh. The fact that parents entrust me and us with children, is very impactful.”
Long before Megan started working at Westpark Elementary, she was already a familiar face around the school. She would spend mornings and afternoons with her mom, hang out during her own ped days, and even stopped by to take photos with some of her mom’s colleagues on the day of her prom. Working here, has been a full circle moment for her.
“I love being in the classroom, I work typically with K1-2. I love being silly with them. I had a great childhood, and I love contributing to the childhoods of other children. I like being impactful in their lives in any way that I can. Since I basically grew up in this building, being a part of this community in a different capacity is very special.”
Megan works with two visually impaired students and has been working closely with the occupational therapist to develop processes and programs that don’t currently exist. Her grandmother, Mary’s mother, was visually impaired, so this mandate is very close to Megan’s heart.
“She grew up with my mom, who had low vision. So, when the opportunity arose to work with visually impaired students, Megan was eager to be part of their academic journey. She had to learn a lot along the way—there’s a big difference between supporting a visually impaired adult and working with young children. It’s been wonderful to see her develop new skills and make such a positive impact on their lives.”
7 Responses
They are 2 of the kindest women. We are so grateful to have them and know that our children are so well loved and taken care of. Thank you ladies
Westpark is so fortunate to have these two amazing women be part of the staff! 😊❤️
Love Love Love them!❤️Such a dynamic duo, the children are so blessed to have them. So lucky to have known Mary for 40 years..even back in the summer camp days.. Mary was everyone’s favourite for obvious reasons🥰
Two beautiful souls, one family, making a difference in the world. Westpark wins!❤️❤️
There is such beautiful people in the world to make a difference that’s you mary and megan
Two of my favourite people at Westpark, for obvious reasons.❤️
I love this story. Marie is one of a kind ❤️.