A Love for Language and Teaching: Farewell, Ms. Menendez

By Lyra Dvorin ’28

As the academic year draws to a close, the Milton community must say goodbye to a beloved member of the Modern Language Department: Ms. Cecilia Menendez. Originally joining the teaching body as sabbatical coverage for Dr. Salomón Diaz last academic year, Ms. Menendez remained on faculty this year as coverage for first Ms. Jenny Romero and second Mr. Bill Hamel. During her time at Milton, Menendez has taught Spanish 1P, Spanish 2, and Spanish 4; when reflecting on the latter, she shared that it has been “one of [her] favorites because we get to explore so many different topics.”

Raised in Connecticut, Ms. Menendez grew up speaking Spanish. “My parents are both from Argentina,” she explained. During her childhood, Spanish was an integral part of her life at home. “Speaking Spanish was something that [my parents] really valued,” Ms. Menendez recalled, “and [even when] the school dissuaded my mom from speaking Spanish to us, she persevered.” Ms. Menendez’s family remained in Argentina, and she would visit the country with her parents and siblings at least once a year while growing up.

Ms. Menendez has worked with students in one form or another since she was a teenager. “I’m in a family of teachers,” she divulged. “My grandma was a teacher, my mom was a teacher, and now I’m a teacher.” After working as a Penn fellow at Miss Porter’s School, Ms. Menendez held positions at several other educational institutions, including Brown University, Ursuline Academy, and Boston University (BU). Ms. Menendez reflected that, during her time as a part-time lecturer at BU, it was “really awesome to have so many resources at my disposal.” She continued, “when you’re a teacher, you love to learn, and that really lit a fire in me again.”

Last year, when a sabbatical coverage position opened, Ms. Menendez was excited to join the Milton community. She reflected that “Milton has really cemented [her] desire to be an educator.” Her favorite moments have been the small ones, “like seeing kids be able to grasp a concept and feel really proud of themselves.” “It’s just an honor to be able to see that and be part of that and facilitate that process,” she explains. Ms. Menendez also highlighted that “it’s been fantastic to learn from [colleagues], to be in their classrooms.”

In addition to teaching, Menendez helped with the Latinx affinity group during Ms. Melissa Figueroa’s sabbatical this semester and served as a chaperone on the French Exchange. Looking ahead, she plans to be at home with her two kids, something that she calls “a huge privilege.” Ms. Menendez’s time at Milton has allowed her to “grow and become more disciplined as a teacher,” but she is also “excited to dive a little bit deeper into [her] own kids’ world.” For the future, she would “love to come back to Milton if that opportunity presented itself.”