For 22 years, Sue was an integral member of Aquinas’ math department teaching courses in Pre Calculus, Pre Calculus Honors, Algebra 2, Geometry, and Mathematical Modeling. She also chaired the department for a number of years. Sue’s passion for Aquinas went beyond the classroom as she took on additional responsibilities from helping guide the school through Middle States Reaccreditation to organizing faculty and staff Secret Santa exchanges in December, and moderating the school’s chapter of the National Honor Society (NHS). While a moderator for NHS, Mrs. Smith organized five mission trips for students, which for her, are cherished memories. “Our first two mission trips were to Jamaica. We built a home each time for an impoverished family,” said Sue. “Next we went to Gallup, New Mexico to work with Navajo families. Our last two trips were to Burgaw, North Carolina to rebuild after Hurricane Florence. The service work we did was the least of what was gained.” As a true believer in Ghandi’s famous quote, Sue not only lives by, but encourages the rest of us to “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Her love for AQ is clear, but when asked why Aquinas, she had a quick reply. “That’s easy, the students! Working with young minds and turning some of them on to mathematics was very rewarding. Outside of traditional curriculum, young adults have so much to learn and so much to offer. I love the saying, ‘You learn to teach and you teach to learn.’” While a teacher at Aquinas, Sue had the honor of handing her two children – Sara ’04 and Adam ’08 – their diplomas at graduation, which were extremely special moments. This past June, she had the honor of handing her grandson, Nikaulas, his Aquinas diploma as well. Sue and her husband, Lon, recently celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary on a cruise. Now, in retirement, she says she looks forward to more fun travel adventures. Sue Smith Retires 11 Mrs. Sue Smith received a heartfelt sendoff at the end of the 2022-2023 school year as she set out to start a new adventure – retirement! Fall and winter are busy times of year and in enrollment, we’re already planning for the 2024-2025 school year! There are many opportunities for prospective students and families to visit campus and experience the faith, the classes, the students, the teachers and the tradition! Welcome In Wednesday Shadow Visits are highly recommended for prospective students. These days provide an opportunity to spend an entire school day with a current Aquinas student. Families attend a brief presentation at 7:40 a.m. Students depart for their shadow day at 8:00 a.m. and then parent tours, led by Aquinas Student Ambassadors, are available. Multiple shadow dates are available each month through May 2024. For more information and to register, please visit AquinasInstitute.com/visit. Of course, individual on-campus tours are always available by appointment. To schedule, please call the Enrollment Office at (585) 254-2020 x1071. Teach me Goodness, Discipline and Knowledge Enrollment Events Back to School On Wednesday, September 6, Aquinas proudly began its 121st school year! Faculty and staff were elated to see the smiling faces of our 718 new and returning students, who were ready to start the year strong! One of the truly special parts of being a private Catholic school is our tight-knit community, which comes from all over – even overseas! Our students this year are from 22 different school districts across four counties, and eight foreign countries including China, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, South Korea, Spain, and Sweden. Please keep our Aquinas students in your prayers for another successful school year! Thank you to our photographers who helped capture some of these first-day photos: Katie Carangelo P’25 & P ’27 and Al Mosher P ’10 & ’12. Sue Smith (left) with colleagues and friends Judy Epstein (center), and Dawn Vasso (right).
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