By: Steph Wetzel,
Nicole Kazmierczak
There’s a fairly good chance many students here at East don’t know who works in the IMC, or what even happens in that secretive room near the Career Center. Or even what IMC stands for (don’t worry, Mr. Huber had to find out – it means Instructional Media Center). After a fulfilling sixteen-plus years, Mrs. Rosanna DeFilippis will be retiring from East at the end of January, and according to the East faculty, she is the glue that holds this school together.
Mr. Maciejewski said, “Mrs. DeFilippis will be sorely missed. She is always concerned with helping teachers do what they need to in the classroom. Without many people knowing it, Mrs. DeFilippis has improved the classrooms of every teacher in this building, and therefore every student’s experience here at East.”
Without her, teachers wouldn’t have notes packets or worksheets for their students. Even when the copy machine breaks, Mrs. DeFilippis is to the rescue. “There’s a lot of tension when the copy machine breaks. We call the repairman, and sometimes we have to wait until the next day. The teachers are panicking, and a lot of stressed teachers cause stress for me too,” Mrs. DeFilippis said. Although she describes her typical day as hectic, it is clear that she loves her job and that she will be missed once she retires this year.
Staying organized is a major part of her job every day. Being in charge of all the papers for each department throughout the year leaves plenty of room for disorganization; however, Mrs. DeFilippis does not struggle with it. “I’ve always been an organized person my whole life, so I have the skill. It comes easily to me,” she stated.
And she might have learned those skills of organization during her journey from Naples, Italy, where she was born, to Syracuse, where she worked as a secretary for the city (amongst other various jobs), and finally to Buffalo. Her husband lost his job in Syracuse, so they made the move to Buffalo to find employment. Mrs. DeFilippis first stayed home with her children before working at Wegmans on Transit, and then at East in 1999.
She held various positions in the Special Education department, the computer lab, and the Guidance department. Once Mrs. DeFilippis started working in the IMC she hasn’t looked back – except when the copier would break down. “I will miss the people I work with as well as the work itself,” she said. “Mostly the people though, because I love getting to see them every day. But I won’t miss the copier breaking down!”
And that wasn’t always the worst problem. Most teachers have made the walk of shame into the IMC requesting something last minute, sometimes literally. Mr. Huber, a co-advisor for the East Side News, would often need this very newspaper printed right away in order to stay timely.
He said, “There’s only one thing that kills a paper faster than not being timely and relevant, and that’s being wrong. With Mrs. DeFilippis, she allowed the East Side News to both print on time and get it right. Not to mention how many times I broke the ‘Allow three or more full days for completion’ rule.”
And like Dr. Redmond, teachers would find themselves indebted to Mrs. DeFilippis, even though that’s not how she would think about it. “Mrs. DeFilippis was always there to make my emergency copies. This was, for the most part, a daily exercise and has not gotten better with age nor experience. Her patience with me has been nothing short of heroic,” he said.
Between the amount of teachers in need of copies and the number of copies they need, she is usually busy; however, certain times of the year are busier than others. “Usually the beginning of the year, January and mid-June, are busier than others with all of the packets being printed,” she said.
Her advice for the next person in charge of the IMC? “Be open minded and friendly.”
She also claims that there is a lot she will miss once she leaves East. Not only does she love the people she works with, but she loves that she can make their lives easier as well. Once retired, she hopes to “travel and get to read even more.” Mrs. DeFilippis is known for voracious reading, and is currently immersed in “James Patterson’s Women’s Club series and the Cross series.”
“She’s always reading,” Mr. Huber said. “There’s a little library, right next to the coffee machine she’s also in charge of, where teachers and teacher aids leave and borrow books. In fact, she’s one of the few people in the entire school I know who reads almost every issue of the East Side News.”
In addition to her copying, coffee-making, and book-giving duties, Mrs. DeFilippis was also recently in charge of storing and organizing the three Chromebook carts. Assistant Principal Mr. Scanzuso said, “Big shoes to fill; her dedication to the job she did so well everyday will be missed.”
But she has always meant more to East than just someone who does her job well and on time. Maybe Mrs. Fey-Daly said it best, “How can I explain how fortunate I have been to have Rosanna looking out for me during our time together at East? Those moments when I needed something at the last minute or simply wanted to reminisce about bakeries in Syracuse have meant so much! I will miss her terribly when she is no longer the smiling face I see in IMC in the morning. I wish her all the best and hope that she stays in touch!”
On behalf of the East Side News and Literary Digest, thank you Mrs. DeFilippis for all your hard work, flexibility, and support. You made the phrase “hot off the presses” a real thing, and we will remember you forever for that.
