“Ciao, grazie!” is the friendly greeting spoken at the start of every class by new Italian teacher Mrs. DiGiacopo.
Mrs. DiGiacopo, Mrs. Uzzi’s new long-term substitute, was born in Calabria, Italy. Previously, she taught at Boonton High School before coming to RD to teach Italian I and II students.
Mrs. DiGiacopo has only been here for a couple of months, but she already feels like she is part of the RD community. She credits staff members such as Mr. Pepe and Mrs. Correa for helping her adjust and get situated.
“This is a bigger high school than the last one I taught at, and here I have five classes, so it’s a little bit more than I’m used to,” Mrs. DiGiacopo said. In spite of this, she has adjusted to the school wonderfully, and the students have gotten used to having a new teacher. “I feel like I’ve gotten pretty used to it, and the students are getting there as well,” she finished.
“I have really enjoyed having Mrs. DiGiacopo as a teacher,” said sophomore Joseph Bushi. “She always manages to make class engaging and fun.”
Mrs. DiGiacopo’s main goal this year is to help her students be able to have a simple conversation with each other in the Italian language. She wants to help her students learn the language because she believes learning a new language can help them in life and is a useful tool if they plan to visit the country.
Mrs. DiGiacopo herself tries to visit Italy as much as she can. “For about 20 years, when I was a kid, I visited Italy every summer and would spend the whole summer there,” Mrs. DiGiacopo said. “I would come back home, and after speaking so much Italian, it felt like I had forgotten how to speak English!” she joked.
Mrs. DiGiacopo’s favorite Italian food is pasta carbonara, which is a classic Italian dish from the city of Rome. It is famous for its pecorino Romano cheese and creamy sauce made with eggs and pork.
A link to a pasta carbonara recipe has been included at the bottom of this article for readers to try at home.
Mrs. DiGiacopo has only been here for a short time, but she has already made a huge impact on her students, and for that, we say: “Grazie, Signora DiGiacopo!”
Arrivederci!
Pasta carbonara recipe: https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/spaghetti_alla_carbonara/
