Congratulations to Ms. Lisa Manfre, also known as Signora to her students, on her retirement from teaching at James Caldwell high school! Ms.Manfre has been with the Caldwell/West Caldwell District for 17 years. Before she came to the Caldwell/West Caldwell community she taught at Montville Township High School for 8.5 years.
Throughout her years of teaching she has taught every level of Italian including AP Italian, Intro to Italian, Italian 1, Italian 2 and more! Ms.Manfre not only taught classes at James Caldwell high school but had to follow a rigorous schedule every day to make it to Grover Cleveland Middle School to teach the students there as well. Her dedication to the community and to teaching students the beautiful language and culture of Italy will be dearly missed.
Ms.Manfre has dedicated many years to the Italian language and culture. For college, she attended Montclair State University (Go RedHawks!)! At MSU she majored in Italian and minored in International Studies. She stated that she has always loved languages and has a passion for learning (her students know this very well as she always said her favorite part of teaching a language was the grammar).
Before becoming a teacher she had experience working at an Italian denim company called Diesel Jeans. She stated, “ I worked there for about 3 years before returning to MSU for my teaching certification.”
At James Caldwell High School, Ms.Manfre had shown her dedication to not only teaching the Italian language but to all students at JCHS. Ms.Manfre serves alongside Ms.Baut as an advisor for the National Honors Society. She ensures that members are well rounded students that dedicate themselves to being leaders, serving the community, school, and demonstrate good character. We appreciate all the work she has done to ensure these pillars remain true and that every induction ceremony runs as smoothly as possible as it is a special moment for many students and their families at JCHS.
Ms.Manfre you will truly be missed and the impact you have made will forever be remembered. Myself and so many other students have traveled with Signora from middle school to here at JCHS. She is the reason many Italian students find a passion for the language and the culture. It is because of her teachings that I am a more organized and time efficient student and she is also the reason I am able to understand my Nonna and Nonno when they speak in Italian. Ms.Manfre is also the reason that on my trip to Italy this summer I was able to understand and speak to my family that can only understand very little English. It was an amazing experience to see all those years of teaching come together. She has truly made an impact on my life and so many others.
All of Ms.Manfre’s students have so many amazing memories with her. From Kahoots before quizzes, to field trips, and the making of an Italian Restaurant for staff by her class the memories will never be forgotten. Personally, I will never forget my birthday in May of 2020. Amidst the COVID shutdown and school closures at this time, classes were held on zoom. To my surprise on joining my zoom for my Italian class with Ms.Manfre, she surprised me with a little slideshow picture wishing me a happy birthday in Italian. I will never forget how happy it made me to see that, to this day I remember the feeling, it made my day.
Thank you Signora for all that you have done for me and my fellow classmates. You will forever leave an imprint on the Caldwell/West Caldwell district and will be truly missed. Buona Fortuna!
(Photos courtesy of Susan Callaghan)
