In the halls of SHS, Mrs. McCarthy is known as a teacher, coach, and trusted resource for advice and guidance. Students and staff alike appreciate the time and commitment she devotes to her many different roles and responsibilities within our school and community. Although she is commonly regarded as one of the physical education teachers for 9^th and 10^th grade, McCarthy is also actively involved in the Vocational Life Skills Program, and she is a dedicated volunteer for several organizations.

Within the SHS Vocational Life Skills Program, McCarthy, or “MacAttack” as she is referred to by several students, focuses on teaching a wide range of skills. Students enter the program at ages 14 to 15 and are able to stay until their 22^nd birthday, giving them as many as eight years to develop valuable strategies for life beyond SHS. McCarthy plays an important role in their education: She encourages healthy nutrition and exercise and teaches safe street crossing methods and appropriate social behavior. She also helps expose her students to real life scenarios, whether it is working at job sites, such as Salon Taj or The Inn at Scituate Harbor, or taking a ride into Boston on the commuter rail. In addition, McCarthy reviews “Dating 101,” as she calls it, which covers the importance of maintaining healthy, respectful relationships. One of McCarthy’s favorite lessons involves taking a moment to step back from the chaos of life and imagine a “fun, safe, happy, place.” She asks her students to close their eyes, relax, and smile as they imagine their favorite place in the world. “I love both parts of the job,” says McCarthy. “I like having the ninth and tenth grade because it keeps me connected to that, but I also love teaching the special needs kids because they just bring a different perspective,” she said.

2:18 p.m. does not mark the end of McCarthy’s day. “Just when I leave here doesn’t mean it all ends!” she says. After two successful years as Vice President of the Massachusetts Track and Field Officials Association (MOFA), McCarthy will begin her two year term as the first female president of MTFOA. She will also continue filling her role as SHS’s head coach of the cross country, winter track, and spring track teams. Throughout her 21 years at SHS, she has gained experience by filling the role of Athletic Director for six years and coaching three sports. Last year marked the first time McCarthy coached three teams in one year, and she continued to do so this year. Senior Erika Badger said, “Mrs. McCarthy has been my coach for four years now, and she is honestly one of the easiest people to connect to, and that’s a great quality for a coach to have, really keeps everyone feeling confident and motivated.” Whether it’s at the Reggie Lewis Center in Roxbury or Scituate’s very own track, McCarthy can be seen coaching, encouraging, and leading talented young athletes to success.

With only 24 hours in a day, McCarthy still finds time to volunteer in her community. “I love volunteering,” she said, “our parents kind of embedded that in us. They wanted us to be athletes, students, and good people, too.” McCarthy is a member of the Board of Directors for the Scituate Alliance of Natural Disaster Services (SANDS). This responsibility includes running the high school shelter, which is open to Scituate residents during storm evacuations. SANDS members are trained to expect the unexpected. For McCarthy, this may mean being called at 2 a.m. to go to the site of a local house fire. Before she gets there, McCarthy may need to gather instant assistant materials such as clothes and gift cards for the victims of the disaster. Working with the Red Cross and the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA), McCarthy helped the SANDS program become a national model for other towns to follow when handling natural disasters.

McCarthy describes her day as both hectic and crazy, but she embraces new challenges and responsibilities. In fact, by just listening to her daily schedule, some students are suddenly overcome with the urge to reach out and become involved in charitable work. “My mom had a saying that she kept on her desk. It was from a Nike commercial and went something like ‘Do all the good you can, in all the ways you can, by any means you can, as long as ever you can.’ And that’s just it. So that works for me,” McCarthy said. Clearly the students of SHS, young athletes from across the state and local citizens in need of emergency assistance benefit from all the good McCarthy does to help those around her.