During her nearly 40-year career for Agawam Public Schools, Alexis Ferioli worked for as a secretary at the AJHS as well executive assistant to four different superintendents for the past 25 years.
Reminder Publishing submitted photo
AGAWAM — Alexis Ferioli planned to become an English teacher when she graduated from Agawam High School in 1965.
The Vietnam War changed her career course.
Ferioli — then Alexis Radewick — attended New England College in New Hampshire. She took courses to become a teacher, but never graduated. Instead, she left the college early to marry her high school sweetheart — John Ferioli — who she met in her senior year at AHS. He was in the class of 1963 and was an Air Force sergeant stationed at McCord Air Force Base in Washington state.
Ferioli had a brief stint working for the Agawam Advertiser News. She had been the editor-in-chief for Sachem, the AHS yearbook, so Ferioli was assigned to cover the town’s schools and School Committee meetings for the newspaper.
“Learning about all of the wonderful and exciting things taking place in the district schools gave me the desire to work permanently with the schools’ students and staff,” said Ferioli, who recently retired after nearly 40 years working for the Agawam Public Schools.
“When I heard about a possible opening in the junior high school office, I applied for the position as a 10-month secretary, which allowed me to continue being with my children during the summer months,” she added.
Ferioli spent 10 years, from 1987 to 1997, working as an Agawam Junior High School secretary. When Mary Czajkowski became the district’s first director of curriculum and instruction, Ferioli was hired as her secretary. “I believe my skills as a writer helped me to secure that position,” said Ferioli.
With her two children grown, Ferioli could work for 12 months. Three years later, in 2000, Czajkowski was appointed as the district’s superintendent and Ferioli followed into that office. As executive assistant to the superintendent, Ferioli also began working with the School Committee, recording minutes of meetings and also performing other duties.
During her 25 years in that position, Ferioli worked for four different superintendents and four different mayors who served as chair of the School Committee.
“Each superintendent had their own unique personality and brought to my position many challenges, such as speech writing,” said Ferioli. “Another challenge was doing reporting to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Because reimbursement funding to our district relied upon the accuracy of this report, it was a task of the upmost importance.”
Along with the challenges of the position, Ferioli said she also had some good times. “I have many fond memories, including creating videos and skits for the annual teacher convocation. I also enjoyed preparing for School Committee workshops, especially those that were off-site.”
She said what she will miss the most is working with various School Committee members and central office personnel. “I’ve seen many School Committee members come and go, as well as central office personnel. It’s been nice to get to know the various School Committee members,” said Ferioli, who for the past three years worked part-time solely for the committee.
Several current School Committee members shared their thoughts about what they will miss about working with Ferioli and how much of a valuable asset she was to the committee.
“I appreciated Alexis’ knowledge and integrity,” said Shelley Borgatti-Reed. “She knows the people as well as every policy we ever wrote. I could call her about a specific policy and she could pull it right up. She knew when it was written and why. Alexis had enormous integrity and was extremely trustworthy.”
Borgatti-Reed said she will miss Ferioli’s “fun personality” and professionalism. “She conducted herself in a very classy and professional manner and ran meetings that way. She knew Robert’s Rules of Order and corrected the committee if we started to go off track. She taught me to always dress professionally when representing the School Committee and to never wear jeans. She was the best and I will miss her.”
Wendy Rua said Ferioli was far more than a secretary to the School Committee, calling her the “heart and steady presence” of the committee’s work. “Dedicated, supportive and deeply knowledgeable, Alexis carried out her role with an extraordinary blend of professionalism and genuine care.”
Rua said Ferioli was organized and attentive to every detail, making sure things ran smoothly. “But what stood out most was her warmth. Alexis never failed to ask about our children and families, always responding with a thoughtful ‘thank you’ Alexis consistently made each of us feel valued, seen and heard.”
Dawn DeMatteo said Ferioli welcomed her to the School Committee almost eight years ago with open arms and an open mind. “From the very beginning, her guidance and expertise were invaluable — I can’t imagine having navigated that new adventure without her. She has been a constant source of support to our team, and she will be deeply missed.”
Michael Perry said he most appreciated the many years of experience Ferioli brought to the committee. “Her deep understanding of our school district and knowledge of meeting procedures provided a steady foundation for the committee. Alexis was truly dedicated to her role. During the four years I worked with her on the committee I always knew I could rely on Alexis for prompt replies to questions, and for advice on procedural issues.”
Perry said he will miss Ferioli for many reasons, but mostly for her calm demeanor and her steady, quiet leadership. “I give her a lot of credit for making me feel comfortable in my role as a committee member. I’ll miss our brief conversations before and after meetings.”
Ferioli doesn’t have any specific retirement plans, but hopes to travel and visit more often with her daughter and her family in Delaware. “I don’t know where the years have gone, but it seems like only yesterday that I started working for the School Department,” she said.
