Sixty-eight years in the Catholic education system, 51 of those years teaching and nearly 40 years at St Mel’s Primary School, Shepparton.
One might say that is Luisa Cassise’s legacy, but it’s not just about the years she’s put in.
It’s the dedication, passion and love she gave to students and staff every day and the difference she made to the school community that remains a story worth telling.
On Tuesday, December 12, Mrs Cassise officially signed off on her last day of teaching and bid her farewell to the school as she set off on her next adventure – retirement.
But she didn’t leave without a fuss.
On Thursday, December 14, she was celebrated with a school-wide mass.
The celebration was complete with a slideshow of pictures from her time there, speeches from staff and past students, and a musical piece performed by staff members, followed by a morning tea.
“It was beautiful ... I was overwhelmed,” Mrs Cassise said.
Mrs Cassise’s journey with Catholic education in the Sandhurst Diocese started in 1955 as a Prep student at St Mary’s Primary School in Myrtleford.
From a very early age, it was clear that Mrs Cassise was destined to teach.
“Ever since I can remember, I always wanted to be a teacher,” Mrs Cassise said.
“My mum always told a story about when I was on the farm, I’d always be trying to teach the cats and dogs tricks.
“Learning and teaching has been my passion ever since I can remember, and I don’t think it will ever die – it’s part of who I am.”
From there, Mrs Cassise went on to study in Melbourne, only to do a full circle back to the school where it all started.
It was teaching at St Mary’s in Myrtleford where Mrs Cassise was given the opportunity to assist migrant children in learning English.
As a first-generation migrant from Italy herself, Mrs Cassise relished the opportunity to teach using her experience and skills to think outside the box to adapt to a child’s needs.
“By the time I was 10, I was helping my parents do their tax and business stuff, so when I had the chance to teach migrant children, I taught them other things too, like how to write cheques and fill in forms because they needed to know that,” Mrs Cassise said.
In 1979, she moved to Mooroopna, where she taught at St Mary’s there.
Then, in 1984, she made her final move to St Mel’s.
This is where she embarked on several ventures, including developing a bushwalking program, working in the teaching and learning team and reading intervention, further enhancing her passion for providing educational development based on a child’s needs.
However, it was an amalgamation of her time there that led to one of her biggest achievements – her work with the labyrinth, Christian meditation and brain gym.
After installing a petite Chartres Labyrinth at the school, Mrs Cassise was accredited as a Verditas Labyrinth facilitator and a licensed brain gym instructor/consultant.
Her work here focused on providing children with calming and centring tools to help prepare the brain for learning through a Catholic lens.
“Learning and teaching has been my passion ever since I could remember, and I don’t think it will ever die – it’s part of who I am.”
No one can attest to Mrs Cassise’s efforts more than those she’s been surrounded by.
Sam Campi is one of them.
“Grade 6 in 1997, she was my class teacher,” Mr Campi said.
“Then my kids came back here years later, and you can just see her ongoing commitment to the children and education and the Catholic Christian values.
“It’s just one of the things Luisa shows day-in and day-out and has for a long time, and I’m proud to have been a student and proud my kids had a chance to be taught by her.”
School principal Chris Summers shared the same sentiment and said the school will forever be better off because of her.
“Luisa’s legacy here and in Catholic education will live on,” Mr Summers said.
“She has such an unwavering dedication to the kids, and the kids love her.
“She’s always looking at how we influence the kids and getting them more included in their wellbeing, so I cannot speak highly enough of this lady – she’s been an inspiration to all.”
Mrs Cassise said looking over her years at St Mel’s, she’s seen a lot of changes across the school, but there’s one thing that has never changed: the school community.
“The children, the relationships – those things never change,” she said.
“My husband died a couple of years ago, and the school and the community here have been my rock, and St Mel’s is like my second home.
“They’ve been my strength, so I’m very blessed.”