Social studies department teacher Karena LaRosa teaches students in Room 289 on Dec. 18. During her time as a teacher, LaRosa developed a teaching philosophy after more than 16 years at CCHS. “Be patient with yourself and I’d say try to get to know your colleagues because they’re just invaluable,” LaRosa said. “They’ll have your back and you can have their back, it just makes work so much more pleasant.” Photo by Daniel Cruz
Social studies department teacher Karena LaRosa will retire after more than 16 years teaching at CCHS.
Clarke Central High School social studies department teacher and Community Service Club sponsor Karena LaRosa will retire on Dec. 20 to make more time for herself and her family.
LaRosa started at CCHS in 2001 as a health educator for the Clarke County Public Health Department before returning to school at Piedmont University to get her masters in teaching with a focus on secondary social studies education. Her first stint as a full-time teacher was at West Jackson Middle School in 2006, where she taught for a year before moving on to CCHS in 2007 as a social studies department teacher.
She has taught for 16 and a half years at CCHS since but has decided to retire after her husband’s brain condition worsened.
“I am to the point or to the age where I don’t want to stand all the time and people don’t realize how physical (teaching) is,” LaRosa said. “At the end of June, my husband had a subdural haematoma (and) with the health scares my husband has had, I really would like to be a little more available to my family.”
Social studies department teacher Karena LaRosa poses in the Mell Auditorium with students during her stint as a health educator in the early 2000s. LaRosa credited her time as a health educator as a key step in her journey to becoming a full-time teacher. “In the 90s, people were really looking at prevention. I’m like, ‘Oh, man, I can teach the community and help people not have so many problems,’” LaRosa said. “I loved health, but history was my real passion.” Photo courtesy of Karena LaRosa
Besides wanting more time to take care of her family, LaRosa hopes to have more time to pursue her passions and hobbies in retirement.
“(My plans are to) travel, travel, travel. I love to travel,” LaRosa said. “I also want to write a book. I have an uncle who was a tribal elder (and) I really want to do a biography on him.”
CCHS Community Service Club Public Relations Officer Katherine Queen, a senior, has worked with LaRosa for three years in the Community Service Club and believes that LaRosa’s generosity has made an impact with the work done around the community.
“(LaRosa) has definitely been inspiring to me. She’s shown the importance of volunteering and helping in the community, as well as given our club lots of opportunities to volunteer together through her various connections in the community.” Queen said. “She’s definitely impacted our Clarke Central Community and the overall Athens community, and will continue to impact even as she’s retiring.”
“(LaRosa) definitely impacted our Clarke Central Community and the overall Athens community, and will continue to impact even as she’s retiring.”
— Katherine Queen,
Community Service Club Public Relations Officer
CCHS social studies department teacher Drew Wheeler has taught alongside LaRosa since she began teaching at CCHS and believes her positive attitude will be missed at the school.
“(LaRosa) is a really positive presence to have, she’s been on some of our hospitality committees (and) she’s always been a big part of that measure,” Wheeler said. “(She makes) new people coming into the department and even new people in the school feel a part of the Clarke Central family.”
As she comes to the end of her career, what LaRosa will miss the most is the people around her. Despite that she looks forward to what her successor can accomplish.
“Bittersweet would be the word I would use because I’m looking forward to (retirement), but I am going to miss having students and my hallway colleagues,” LaRosa said. “(My advice to my successor would be) to take each day as a new day and just keep moving forward.”
