If you walk into Lawrence School at 7:45 a.m., whose face will you see first?
Chances are you’ll be greeted by Myriam Rodriguez, the Family Access and Community Engagement (FACE) coordinator for Lawrence. Each morning, Ms. Rodriguez goes out of her way to personally greet students and families as they arrive for a day of school. In addition to the “hellos” and “holas,” Ms. Rodriguez quietly checks on what her families might need: Is that coat warm enough? Are you feeling better after your cold? Did you have enough to eat this weekend?
“Every day, all day, I am building relationships with families and students,” said Ms. Rodriguez. “As a FACE coordinator, my role is to build a bridge between families, schools, and the community. I want all of our families to feel welcomed and supported.”
Ms. Rodriguez joined Holyoke Public Schools in 2021 as a kindergarten paraprofessional. However, her journey in the education field started much earlier: Prior to joining HPS, she worked as a preschool teacher director at Holyoke-Chicopee Headstart for 24 years. Her passion has always been working with kids, she explained. When she joined Lawrence School, she felt as though her strengths were seen and celebrated—especially by former Lawrence Principal Cathy Hourihan.
“I worked as a para for two years before becoming the Lawrence FACE coordinator. When the role was open, Ms. Hourihan encouraged me to jump in and supported my growth. Now I can serve the school and community in new ways.”
One of the most visible ways Ms. Rodriguez serves the school community is as an interpreter. It’s common to see her switching seamlessly between Spanish and English as she speaks with different people. A native Spanish speaker from Puerto Rico, Ms. Rodriguez learned English after moving to Massachusetts. In 2023, she became a certified Title 2 interpreter for the district after participating in a free training program through an HPS partnership with UMass Amherst.
“The course was intense, requiring months of learning and an evaluation of my Spanish and English proficiency,” Ms. Rodriguez explained. “But it was important work. I feel it is important in my role to make sure all families know we respect and value them.”
Ms. Rodriguez is now taking her language learning a step further: She’s learning how to read, write, and speak in Haitian Creole.
“Our school community is expanding, and we have more families of Haitian descent enrolling at Lawrence and in the district. It’s important to my role to make our Haitian Creole speaking families feel welcomed, supported, and valued. Being able to communicate in a language someone is most comfortable in builds trusting and caring relationships.”
This commitment to making school comfortable for everyone hasn’t gone unnoticed by her colleagues. Director of Family and Student Experience Steven Moguel described Ms. Rodriguez as the heartbeat of Lawrence School.
“There is nothing she wouldn’t do for families,” he said. “Every day, she is creating memories for our families and students at Lawrence.”
Holyoke is a community with challenges: Food and housing insecurity, poverty, and an inequitable distribution of resources. Those challenges also present opportunities for connection—and for Ms. Rodriguez, that’s what it’s all about.
“We all have the same goals: Be respectful, embrace empathy and kindness, academic achievement, effective communication, helping ourselves and others,” Ms. Rodriguez said. “When we come together, especially at community events, we can achieve. Juntos podemos.”