Marlene Capolupo retires after 32 years in the Music Department

she’s sharp, and anyone that has been lucky enough to work with her knows she is very efficient — she runs a tight ship.” anything.”

“My colleagues at the school are like a second family to me,” Administrative Assistant to Chair of the Music Department Marlene Capolupo said. “I am very happy I’ve worked with such wonderful people for 32 years.”

After working as a secretary and, more recently, an Administrative Assistant, for four different Music Department heads, Capolupo will retire at the end of this year. She plans to spend her free time with her beloved children and grandkids.

Before coming to the school, Capolupo worked in the same position at another school. It was merely through coincidence that Capolupo discovered the job opportunity. “I went to church one day, and on the church bulletin it said they needed someone for the music department. That’s what I did — I applied, and I never left.”

Music Department Chair Timothy Ho adores Capolupo and said she will undoubtedly leave a lasting impact on the school. “She’s kind of a legend,” he said. “She’s smart,

Ho’s favorite moments with Capolupo have been his daily conversations with her. They have worked together for the last 17 years, and he will cherish all of the time he spent with her, he said. “She’s given me so much wisdom over the years and shared so much insight into not only the school and the music department, but the world in general.”

Ho believes that Capolupo’s most significant contribution to the school has been her sharing of the knowledge she has gained over her many years at the school. “A lot of people have come and gone in the time that she has been at the desk. She proceeded the people who hired us and the people who hired them,” Ho said. “She is leaving a legacy of clarity, consistency, and stability.”

Over the years, Capolupo has grown and adapted in her role, believing it is never too late to learn something new, she said. “Learning the computer, which many people my age have the tendency to say they can’t learn, has given me the confidence to think I can learn

Capolupo’s favorite activities at the school have always been the concerts and the Music Department trips, she said. “Listening to students playing or singing was always really enjoyable. Especially when they begin to have recitals in the afternoon.”

It will be bittersweet for Capolupo to leave. “I have watched the Music Department grow into what it is today, and for that reason, I feel like a part of me is being left here,” she said. “Dr. Kelly has told me that anytime I want, I can come back and help out, I am willing to do so. I am there if they need me.”