Ms. Hilary Godin
Having parents that were teachers, Ms. Godin always felt that “teaching was in my blood.” At Alma College, she majored in painting and became an art teacher. After teaching art for 41 years, 35 of those at LHS, Ms. Godin is retiring. As she departs, Ms. Godin speaks highly of LHS, saying,“It really is a great community, and a long-standing, great school system. Teachers here are amazing, students here are hardworking, good, nice, and great to work with.” Out of the multitude of amazing aspects to teaching at LHS, Ms. Godin will miss the “big, beautiful space” that is the art room the most. When designing the new building, the architects listened to Ms. Godin and what she wanted. Now, she says that “everything in here is what I dreamed of having.” By teaching, Ms. Godin has learned along with her students about the art world out there. When prompted about how her experience has shaped her, Ms. Godin replied, “I have learned so much from the students that I know I’m a better parent because of all the kids that I’ve worked with and how different all the kids I’ve taught have been.” After teaching for such a long time, Ms. Godin believes it’s time for a young person to come in and take her place. Once her husband also retires, she plans to reside on Cape Cod.
Mrs. Susan Turcotte
As a former LHS student in the class of 1973, Mrs. Turcotte never imagined she would “come back and graduate again.” Prior to LHS, she worked as a guidance secretary at Glenbrook Middle School. Coming to LHS in 2003 and becoming principal secretary in 2016, she has enjoyed planning parties, explaining, “I like seeing something go from beginning to end. They are nice celebrations and I like that the best.” Such events include the recent celebration of Coach John Devine at the track as well as graduation. In addition to the great students and teachers, Mrs. Turcotte praised the administration for their hard work during her time there, saying, “They really work hard to make sure everything is the best for the kids, that’s what makes this school great.” Once she retires, Mrs. Turcotte and her husband want to travel around America and visit small places, specifically restaurants, and elaborated, “This is so silly, but we watch so many TV shows about food…So we’re going to go find where these restaurants are and see what’s around them. I’d like to see America, not big cities or anything like that, just little places you don’t usually go to.” After working for 50 years, Mrs. Turcotte looks forward to enjoying the “silly little things” in life, whether it is reading a book on a sunny afternoon or taking a morning walk. After going through LHS as both a student and an administrator, Mrs. Turcotte reflected: “When I was here as a student, I didn’t realize how wonderful it was and how much it probably shaped me then. Coming back, it gave me a real appreciation for what went into giving me the education I had and realizing how dedicated people are.”
Ms. Yvonne Balaban
Ms. Balaban has worked in the LPS system for 22 years, 12 of those being at LHS as a basic skills tutor. She puts emphasis on the importance of the students and their impact on her, saying, “I enjoy conversing with the students, I enjoy finding out who they are, and I enjoy helping them in any way I can.” When she retires, the students are who she’ll miss the most. As she prepares to depart from LHS, Ms. Balaban reflects on her takeaways from her career: “I think I’ve learned to understand what high school students experience in school, and I’ve learned patience, I’ve learned how to recognize problems, and how to solve those problems.” With two children who have already grown up, she is excited to move to Rhode Island and is expecting her first grandchild in September.
