episode two: gabi innella, office administrator

In this episode of the district; EDUCATING AB, TOGETHER, Superintendent Peter Light interviews Gabi Innella, the elementary office administrator at McCarthy Town Elementary School. Gabi shares her journey in education, emphasizing the importance of creating a sense of belonging for students, families, and staff. She discusses the dynamic environment of the school office, the growth and changes in students, and the significance of embracing diversity within the community. Gabi also highlights the joy she brings to her work and the family-like atmosphere at McCarthy Town. The conversation touches on the multifaceted role of office staff and the impact of the Resource Center in fostering community involvement.

Transcript

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Welcome to The District, Educating AB Together. I'm Peter Light, Superintendent of the Act and Boxborough Schools. I'm glad you're here. This podcast is about the people who make our schools come alive every day and work with our kids. Each episode, we'll sit down with a member of our staff to hear their story. Why they chose this work. why they're here in our community, and why this moment matters. Today, I'm joined by Gabby Inela, our elementary office administrator over at McCarthy Town Elementary School. I'm excited to learn more about her journey and to share her perspective with you. Let's get started, Gabby. Yes, thank you for having me. Absolutely. So Gabby, um I've seen the main office over at MCT. It's like Grand Central Station, and you are like the conductor in action. Can you tell us about that? Yeah, I call it the heartbeat of the school. So it's like the welcoming place is where like we we get every action and everything first time. So it's it's Grand Central. It never stops. It's like a rotating door and I love that. Yeah, you just called it the heart of the school. Yes. Right? that tells me what you try to do is create this culture for the students and for the families and for the staff that come through. Can you tell us more about what do you want people to feel when they come in the office? I think the most important thing for me when I first started working in education, I heard something that say that school is not all about academics. It's the belonging. So I think that's what I want. And that's my goal for life. in every aspect, especially at MACD. I want every kid, want every family, every parent, every staff member to feel that sense of belonging when they walk into McCarthy Town. Yeah, that's, I mean, it's just so powerful. So I have to share with you when we were starting this podcast, I asked a bunch of our administrators and people around the district, who should I interview? Who do people need to hear from? um And person after person said, you have to get Gabby on this podcast. So I think what's amazing to me is everyone else knew you had this gift, but when did you realize you had this gift for working with kids and families? Very early, very early in age I started like on my teenage years, long time ago, I started like volunteering on like... schools and my mom was a teacher so there was always something like in the house, the talking, she was a kindergarten teacher so I always liked little kids and then it went to like teenagers, I've been fascinated about teenagers, they don't scare me so much but they're a box-office surprise and I went from high school to middle school and elementary school and I don't want to leave elementary school anymore, I am in love with the K26 and they fulfill like all I bonded with kids, the little one from kindergarten when they first come, and the sixth graders when they leave, and the good thing is when they come back to visit me, I feel proud. I feel like I did my job. They miss me. They're coming back to see me again. That is awesome. How do you see kids change over that time from kindergarten to sixth grade? mean, it's such a cool period of a kid's life. It is, and it's a long period too. It's like we feel the difference in between years. It's like when they go from like third grade or fourth grade to fifth grade, they change their attitude like immensely. It's not only physically, but mentally they feel like more prepared. They feel like when they get on sixth grade, they are ready to go to our J grade. And it's nice to be there to see that growing on them. It's just not that as they do, but we grow with them. I learn a lot with kids. It's like every day I go like, oh, thank you for that message. That didn't come up on my head. You taught me that." And they go like, no, Gabby, you're here to teach us. I was like, no, that's the opposite. We teach each other. So it's very nice to be following them year by year. That's a cool point you just made. So what have you learned from our kids? What's like a really, like just a lesson you take with you every day that you learn from kids? I do a lot of, they're very strong. They have a capacity to be strong and that strength, especially we are getting a lot of kids from different part of the world now and the way they come, sometimes they don't speak the language, sometimes they come from different state and the way that they just come there and I'm glad we have great staff who are there for them to welcome them and everything and the way they in like two or three months start to speak a different language or make friends, make five or ten new friends like always surprised me. So this is amazing on my part of you. Yeah you just talked about that school community and kids coming from everywhere. What is it in particular you love about the school community at AB and McTea? Because you're a member of the community too. You're not just a staff person here. I'm like a former parent. You are AB. Yes, I am AB. And it's funny to compare my daughter graduated a couple of years ago to compare the AB then and now. And that's what brought me to AB. When I saw the diversity growing, I was like, oh, I to be part of it. I want to be part of it because community, supporting families. and especially, you know, diversity was always my kind of motto. And when I saw that growing, was like, want to be there. On our first interview, we talked about that a lot. And I see that growing, and that makes me so happy. A couple of years ago when I started, I was in a classroom teaching staff members to speak Portuguese for the Brazilian culture and I got to tell you, I have to tell you, I got emotional one of the classrooms. Because I cannot believe that I met AB teaching Portuguese to a high school teacher or a counselor or a nurse and I'm not even a teacher. And that made me feel so happy to be part of this growing with AB. I remember that because I remember people coming out of those classes that you did saying you have to find a way to get Gaby into AB and have her in our schools. I remember what a positive impact you had and just this amazing positive personality. How do you bring that into the work and how do you allow yourself to kind of be you in the work? I just, I have a thing on me and that I have to Maybe thank my mom. She raised us with joy. She said no matter what, where or what you do, where you go, you have to bring joy to people. So I think that got very engraved on my personality and I tell my kid, my daughter, it was like no matter how bad your day is going, people are not, it's not people's fault. So your joy has to be there, people are there, and you have to treat people. respect. So joy and respect are things that I respect a lot and I try to bring to work every day. That is great. So what is it about kind of coming to work right now that makes this all meaningful for you? I think the sense of community we have right now, know, at MEC-TE is great. So we have this thing going on of like, support each other. No matter if it's a new staff member, if it's a new family, if it's a new student, we are all together. feel like... It's my fourth year there, but it feels like it's my 15th because it's a family. It's a big family. I don't feel like coming to work. I'm going to work today. It's one more day of work. No, I'm going to meet my family and our kids. So that's the feeling and the environment we have at MEC-T. So what do you think the secret sauce is to making that environment feel like a family? I think it's like loving what you do. It's just, you know, a lot of, you know, teachers and counselors and psychologists and principal, assistant principal, like loving and enjoying what they are doing. I think that's the sauce to the secret to success or the cherry on top of the sundae. So I think that's it. It's a love and enjoying what you do. That's amazing. What, you know, as you think about... um of what people think they know of the role that you have and what you know of the role you have. What's something that maybe people don't know about working in an office or school they ask. get that question a lot. So what do do? I was like, you know, we do a lot. We do a lot. It's just people think it's just about like organizing and doing attendance or getting the kids who are tardy or calling teachers saying their attendance is late. But it's not. It's just a welcoming place. And it's a place that we, one moment we are doing attendance, the next second we are comforting a kid who just walked by the hallway crying and looked at a hug or someone to hold their hands and bring them to the nurse. So the family, the same thing. They get there, a family, again, who doesn't speak the language. And you smile and you say, a good morning in a different language. Even if you don't speak the language, just changing, know, exchanging cultures, experience makes them feel good. So it's everything. Sometimes I say I'm like a psychologist, a teacher, a principal, a superintendent, a secretary, a nurse, everything all together. So this is the front office for you. Yeah, so if I walked into the main office of McTee and happened to walk out with a parent or someone in the community who just came from your office and I said, What was it like? What would you want them to say about their experience in the office? I just wanted first of all for them to feel welcome that's my you know our main point at the office and you know supported if they need the support helped if they need any help and The sense of belonging for me. It's very important and just you know That's a place. I want to come back That's great. I'm not going to avoid that place. I want to come back when I need another question, when I need more help. Absolutely. you've had a bunch of different roles in our school community and been involved in a whole bunch of different ways over your years here. Say someone was at home and they weren't involved and they just didn't know how to get involved. What advice would you give them? Start with the resource center. I love that project. It's like, dear in my heart. It's just I think that I keep telling everyone I know when they don't want to commit like with a job at the district, but you know, I only have a few hours. I'd say just start at the resource center. There's a lot of families, a lot of people needing like 15, 20 minutes of a translation or folding clothing for donation or get a sub job. So that's a great experience too that You can come and stay on the school for a day if you don't know if the education is the right environment for you. But I would say getting a sub job and starting volunteering at our resource center. That's great. So you brought up the resource center. how do you see the resource center was something new for us and we hadn't tried it and we just wanted to see how it would work. How do you see that that has shaped the culture of the schools in the district? It's interesting. the feedback we get from families uh and like what we hear from, it's just not, it's a place I can go to get donation. It's not only that, the support the Resource Center is giving to families is impressive. I was surprised. I thought it was gonna be something smaller than it is right now. Started smaller, but now getting bigger and everything. And I see the families utilizing more. than they were before. They're not as shy as they used to be on the beginning because they know they're going to get the support they need when they get there. Yeah, but I think what I hear you saying is the power of the Resource Center isn't just that it's for families who may need something. It's actually about people who want to be part of the community. Exactly. And just be part of something bigger. Yeah, And it's a great way to start. Yeah, that's fantastic. So, Gabby, I want to thank you for being here. um Thank you all so much for joining us on The District Educating AB Together. Again, I'm Peter Light, Superintendent of the Acton-Boxborough Schools. I hope today's conversation with Gabby gave you a deeper look into the people and the stories that shape our schools. Each of us plays a part in building this community, and together we make this education possible for our kids. Be sure to tune in next time as we continue exploring stories behind Why Me? Why Here? Why Now? Until then, thank you for listening.