Stacie Brown, a beloved chemistry teacher here at Oakmont, is making her way towards a brand new chapter: retirement.
Throughout life, chapters will close, and the words on the page will fall in place, sealing in your past experiences and opportunities. Whether it be your upcoming college adventure or just a fun summer day with friends, something new and exciting will always come your way
From switching out worksheets for Google Docs, websites in place of textbooks, and flip phones to iPhones, Brown has been able to shape future generations of the Ash-West community. And it’s clear from the reactions of staff, students, and me that she will be missed tremendously
Brown didn’t get her start teaching here at Oakmont; she’s an alum herself! Graduating back in the spring of 1986, she has had the pleasure of watching the school grow and develop over the past 40 years. But teaching wasn’t always the plan.
Breathing in the fresh summer air, she stepped into Fitchburg State University in the fall of ‘86 to begin schooling to become a veterinarian. Working with animals had been her passion, and the veterinary pre-med program seemed like the best choice. Right?
One undissected cat later, she unenrolled from the program and shifted her major towards chemistry. Veterinary sciences may not have been for her, but chemistry certainly was! Ever since that cat-astrophic day, Brown has dedicated herself to her field, graduating with her BS in chemistry, working at American Environmental in Leominster, and then transitioning to teaching in 1994 after obtaining her master’s in Secondary Education.
Eight years after graduating from Oakmont herself, not much had changed in the high school. But after 40 years? The building has gone through a modern transformation while portions of it remain the same. Brown remembers the gradual transitions. Slowly, 7-period days turned into a 4×4 block schedule, the main office and library now replace a bus ramp, and the middle school has moved from the English wing and found its own home up the hill.
But even after all this change, Brown’s love of the unknown has not faded away, and she’s made it clear.
“I just love asking questions… I can’t let things go, I have to figure it out,” said Brown, “I like learning about students’ different backgrounds, like where they came from, what they did. Asking questions is how we learn things!”
This love of questions and the challenging results has translated into students and educators alike. “She’s challenged me to have different perspectives, and held me to a higher standard, but in a good way,” explained Paula Stefanakos, a veteran Oakmont English teacher.
Students who were wary of Brown at first have since changed their minds about their past fears.
“At first, I was kind of unsure of how she was going to be when she came into Ms.Bennitt’s class. She seemed like a really good teacher”, stated sophomore Jada Sandjong. Since then, Sandjong remarked on how that same teacher helped her to think critically, forcing her to ask the deeper questions when it came to chemistry.
Outside of school, the professionalism wears away, giving way to a glimpse into what makes Stacie Brown, Stacie Brown. She enjoys traveling throughout New England, reading novels (“I definitely have to get a retirement job just to pay for my books!”, Brown joked), and cooking while mixing in some of her chemistry knowledge.
And when she’s bored, she doesn’t just sit around. In her free time, Brown is the kind of woman to get a master’s in business for fun! Two degrees proved too easy a feat for Brown. She earned her MBA in Human Resources, proving that she truly is a woman of all trades, and that attitude will be missed.
For the first time in four decades, Ms.Brown’s name won’t be hanging up next to Room 608. It’s a joyful, gloomy feeling all in one.
“I will always be grateful for… the support and love I’ve always felt over the years”, said Brown, “I feel like I am graduating from Oakmont for the second time, and I’m not sure what the future will bring.”
40 years’ worth of learning, education, and zeal are coming to a close in less than a month. While sad, she is fighting the bittersweet feelings and looks forward, “to the ‘next chapter’ in my life.”
From the Oakmonitor staff, we greatly appreciate the dedication offered by Stacie Brown over the past four decades. Thank you for asking challenging questions, seeking crazy answers, and pushing all students to continue actively participating in their own success.
We hope that your curiosity never dies, and you continue to impact members of the community just as you’ve done for the students at Oakmont.
