MS: How would you describe yourself in three words? 

Maria Pace: Enthusiastic, Dedicated, and Caring 

MS: If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? 

Maria Pace: Chicken parm. Like a chicken parm wedge; it has to be like a sandwich

MS: Do you have any pets or children?

Maria Pace: I don’t have pets but I do have 2 children, so yes I am a mom. I have 2 daughters, one is 7 and one is 9 and their names are Josephine (9) and Victoria (7) 

MS: If you could move anywhere in the world for a year, where would you go? 

Maria Pace: I would love to go to Italy and stay there, visit family, learn the language more than I already know how to speak it. 

MS: What inspired you to get into education? 

Maria Pace: So I’ve been in education for around 19 years… I always loved science; it was always something I knew I wanted to do. In college I took a course for psychology. My psychology professor was the best teacher I’ve ever had, and one time he asked each student to teach a lesson on one chapter of our psychology textbook, and the chapter I chose was Neuroscience. So I taught a lesson on neuroscience, and he said to me “did you ever think about teaching. Is that your major?” and I said no, I’m a medical science major. And he said “You might want to change it” So after that I realized how much I enjoyed it. 

MS: Where did you work before HHS? 

Maria Pace: I was at Yorktown High School Teaching Biology. 

MS: Why did you decide to work at HHS?

Maria Pace: I’ve been teaching for a long time and I started to see the other side of education where I had a more global view of what happened at schools. And I was always interested in the administrative side…and when this opportunity came up I just thought to myself there’s no way I can turn this down. I was really excited to come here. I had heard wonderful things about the district and the school.

MS: What are some of your hobbies, or what do you enjoy doing in your free time? 

Maria Pace: I love baking, I love cooking. I love to do arts and crafts with my kids. I like to work out… when I can. I don’t usually have that much free time so when I have the opportunity I either want to work out or just spend time with my kids.

MS: What is the greatest lesson you have learned? 

Maria Pace: The greatest lesson I have learned just from being a kid, and I think it’s something that was instilled in me from my parents is that; if you want something, you have to work for it, and you can’t be afraid to struggle towards what you are working towards because sometimes setbacks are what allow us to continue to grow. 

MS: If your life had a theme song, what would it be? 

Maria Pace: “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus. If you’re curious why I chose this song, it is because I am always trying to be the best at what I am currently doing, but I always have a new goal. I always try to be better than the day before.

MS: What advice do you have for high school students at HHS?

Maria Pace: Be open to new experiences and new people. Don’t let yourself follow a path where it’s easy to continue to make choices that give you setbacks. And that sometimes the best thing you can possibly do to get out of a situation you might find yourself in is to be uncomfortable and to get out of your comfort zone and to try something different even if it’s a new habit you have to form in a positive way to get out of something you are currently doing. Don’t be afraid to fail at it and then step back up and say, “Oh, Okay I can do this” 

MS: What are some of your career goals within the near future?

Maria Pace: So I just started here and my goal is to learn as much as I can about the building here and the students here and the teachers here, and long-term I eventually would like to earn my doctorate degree in education which I am working towards now.