Mrs. Pereira always knew she wanted to be a teacher. The hard part was figuring out what to teach and who to teach it to. She started her journey at UMass Dartmouth as a math major but then began to worry about what she would do with her major if she decided teaching wasn’t for her. She always wanted to have a backup plan, and so instead of majoring in math, she switched to accounting. If she didn’t like teaching, she thought, she could become an accountant. Lucky for us at Hanover High School, Mrs. P decided to teach older students because she knew she wanted kids of her own and thought it might be too much having little kids at home and at work. She is now in her 19th year at HHS, teaching business classes such as Marketing and Management and Accounting along with co-leading the Internship Program. Every year, Mrs. P also works hard to put on the “Credit for Life Fair” at HHS. This event helps students learn to make smart and safe decisions when saving, spending, and budgeting their money for the future.  

Competitive cheerleading took up most of Mrs. P’s time at Somerset High School. Her team was ranked ninth in the country and even made an appearance on ESPN! (Fun fact: Mr. Perry and Mr. Faria also went to Somerset High School.) In addition to cheerleading, Mrs. P was involved in gymnastics, “The Future Teachers of America Club,” and National Honor Society.

Mrs. P strives to create an environment in her classroom where her students not only master the content but also work toward becoming a good person. Mrs. P wants her students to know that she genuinely cares about them, and can relate, understand and sympathize with them because of her own experiences. As funny as it sounds, Mrs. P means it when she says, “When I’m at school, you guys are my kids.”

Mrs. P has a lot going on in her life, and, like many teachers, her life is a constant balancing act between being a Mom and a Teacher. Luckily, she loves being busy and hates to be bored. She has a long commute to work every day from Fall River, and that gives her a lot of time in the car. She loves the time in the morning to wake up but can’t stand the ride home; as a result, she does very little driving on the weekends. In the summer, Mrs. P enjoys camping with her husband and three children: Olivia, Lila, and Georgia. Camping definitely isn’t for everyone, but spending a week in the outdoors with her family is one of the most relaxing places for Mrs. P. When she isn’t pitching a tent in the wilderness, her favorite travel spot is Maui, Hawaii. As far as her favorite things, she loves to exercise and is working to make that a priority again in her busy life. Mrs. P loves music and how it can make you feel different emotions or bring you back to a certain time in your life. She doesn’t really have a favorite food, but would much rather have real food then some type of dessert or candy.

Over the course of growing up, becoming a mother and going through life’s experiences, Mrs. P has found inspiration in different places. When she was a teenager, she looked up to her cheer coach who had two small children, a career, a coaching job, and had also gone back to school. She admired her drive and her success. As she got older, she grew to admire her grandmother, who had a very difficult life and yet raised 10 children mostly on her own. She didn’t understand how remarkable that was until she was a mom herself. Now that she’s older, there are so many people Mrs. P admires.

“I admire my own daughter who made the change from a small private school to a larger public middle school,” she said. “Middle school is not an easy time to be the new kid. And yet she’s running for student government. I admire her courage. I admire so many of my students for all of their accomplishments, big or small. I love hearing from them after they graduate. I admire other parents who have raised amazing kids. I admire people who persevere through some of the most heartbreaking, unimaginable events. I admire people who work hard, whether to do their jobs well or to make important changes in their lives.”  

Mrs. Pereira always has a smiling face in Room 205 and, as students, we all appreciate the energy and drive she brings to work every day. When asked to describe Mrs. P using only one word, some of her students responded with the words below:

Relatable, Generous, Funny, Real, Mom, Cop, Driven, Determined, Therapist, Heartwarming, Caring, Honest, Outgoing, Inspiring, Thoughtful, Kind