When I Was in High School: Ms. Bommarito

“I was a nerd!” Ms. Bommarito said. Photo Credit: Liz Bommarito

By MARIANA VARGAS 

Ms. Liz Bommarito is one of Midwood’s longest tenured and most beloved English teachers. She plans events such as prom, senior trip, and graduation, organizes SING! and drama productions, and takes time out of her day to talk to students individually about their problems. But what was high school like for Ms. Bommarito during her own teenage years?

“I was a nerd!” said Ms. Bommarito. “I wasn’t a popular kid, but I did have friends.”

Ms. Bommarito went to John Dewey High School from 1987-1991. “I was also in the Chorus Club and the Law Institute program,” she said. “I really wanted to be a lawyer.”

She loved going to school. “Even though my classes started at 8:00 am, I’d get there at 7:00 am every day to be with my friends.” 

“I had a part-time job, too,” said Ms. Bommarito. “I worked in a wedding dress store where I’d glue — with Elmers Glue — pearls onto dresses.” 

Before her senior year was finished, Ms. Bommarito and her family moved to Italy.

“While I was in Italy, I remember thinking, ‘How could I not have gotten a high school diploma?’” she recalled. “I was pretty mad about it.” 

When she came back to the U.S, she knew she had to finish school.

“I went back to  Dewey and I met with a guidance counselor,” said Ms. Bommarito. “He told me that I only need two English credits.”

She had to take night school. “I had a full time job in the day, and then I would go to night school,” she said.  But she stuck with it and finished.

“My guidance counselor handed me my diploma, I cried, he cried, and we called it a day,” said Ms. Bommarito. “You guys get a whole ceremony. I got nothing!” 

But considering her overall high school experience, “that was a really good time,” she said. “Those were probably the best years of my life.”