By Maria Shah

When we think of Doc, you have to admit, that we act like we know her. But the thing is… do we really know Doc? Other than the obviously true article written last year about Doc’s life as a secret agent, if you think about it… we don’t really know anything about Doc.

If you ask a Hamden High student about Doc, you might get answers such as “The cellphone lady”, or “an administrator” or even “the traffic lady.” But Doc is so much more than that and I learned that by simply taking some time out of my afternoon, and doing the most obvious thing- asking.

When I entered Doc’s new office, I was surprised to see how bare it was. For those of you who haven’t ever been, Doc’s old office in C311 is covered in pictures. Entering her office was like entering someone’s mind and being able to see all their treasured memories. Trust me, if you haven’t seen it… go see it. Doc’s old office should be considered a tourist attraction. It showed how much being an administrator and helping students meant to Doc. You see, when asked, Doc responded that while she doesn’t mind being principal, she liked the one-on-one interaction and the ability to give advice to students who may have made some mistakes. Meaning, that Doc’s position is still temporary. While rumors are flying, Doc assures that once they find someone to be principal, she will be back to giving advice and having the one-on-one interaction with students that she enjoys. While Doc still does this as much as she can, it’s harder when it’s the whole school on your shoulders.

Of course, what you guys are interested in are Doc’s rules. And don’t worry, I didn’t leave anything out during this interview. Doc says, that the rules were always there. They’re just being enforced now. The reason clubs aren’t being announced is because with the amount of clubs, too much class time would be taken out of third period if they were to announce every one. Posters? Well Doc has a high standard when it comes to Hamden High’s look. She believes that posters look trashy, AND they’re hard for the custodians to clean up. And of course, the infamous cellphone policy… Doc says that she has seen people bump into walls because they weren’t focusing on where they were going. To her, cellphones are a distraction… which isn’t totally wrong. She also worries. Dixwell Avenue is bustling with traffic, and students have died because they weren’t looking where they were going. However Doc assures us, that she doesn’t hate cellphones, she simply thinks that students should be paying attention to what is going on around them and be involved more. Not only that, but Doc is pro-selfie. She says that if you “take pride in what you look like, take a selfie!”

What we often forget is that Doc is a person just like us. She loves all shades of blue- especially periwinkle. She is Hamden’s #1 Sports fan; if you ever go to a game, it shouldn’t be a surprise if you see Doc there as well, cheering Hamden on.  Doc isn’t just a Hamden fan, but a general sports fan as well. She loves the Yankees and watching sports in general. Doc also loves watching classic movies… who knew? Another interesting thing is that Doc is QUITE the traveler, and loves to do it whenever she has time and money. Doc has travelled to Italy eight times and has also travelled to Greece, Austria, Holland, Spain, Belgium, England, Egypt, Mexico, Cancun, AND Bermuda. Doc’s favorite singer is Luther Vandross and Luciano Pavarotti, and she also likes James Brown and jazz. I asked her if she enjoyed any artists of today, and she said she enjoyed the song Happy by Pharrell, however she is still old school when it comes to music. (One thing’s for sure, Doc has good taste in music). Also, Doc’s favorite superhero is The HULK

Of course, these things aren’t the only things that make up Doc. Doc supports many causes, the first one being The American Cancer Society. Her father actually passed away due to cancer, so the organization is very dear to her. She also strongly supports the Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk and Out of the Darkness, which is a branch of The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, especially in younger people. Of course, Doc’s support doesn’t just stop there; she also supports the Alzheimer’s Association.

Now that we know more about Doc, what does Doc have to say to her haters? We all know about what happened during one of the senior meetings. However, Doc doesn’t care about how it made her feel compared to how it reflected on the senior class as a whole! (Which shows her dedication and how much she cares for Hamden High students, because if that were anyone else, it probably wouldn’t have ended so calmly). She says that seniors must show more leadership, maturity, and respect because they are the role models. To the haters she says “They don’t like me? They don’t know me? Are they the ones that don’t like the rules?”

Overall, in her own words, Doc LOVES Hamden High and is working to create a tighter community. She loves talking to students and giving them advice and encourages students to stop by her office, because the “doors are always open.” If you want to talk to Doc, send her an email! But make sure you don’t visit during class… because Doc cares about your education. As you can see, there is so much we don’t know about Doc, and it shows that we can’t really know much about a person, unless we ask. Of course, Doc’s advice doesn’t stop here. When asked, she says that if she wanted students to learn one thing, it would be:

“Have pride in yourself,

And reach for your goals

No matter how long it takes.”