By Ivy Li ‘23
Ms. LaFreniere arrived at St. Mark’s in 1996 and has served at St. Mark’s for 25 years. Every student at St. Mark’s, who has at some point missed a commitment, will tell you that Ms. LaFreniere is extremely good at her job. For me, there are days where Chapel in the early morning just feels like too much. However, in less than a day, I would receive an email from Ms. LaFreniere inquiring if I was absent from Chapel. Although admitting that I was absent from school commitments was not easy, I never felt disconnected from the school, even during remote learning, since Ms. LaFreniere would always remind me of the absences whether in Chapel or my classes.
Throughout her time at St. Mark’s, Ms. LaFreniere found that “the best part of her job is working with the students!” She related that helping the students with the little things, “even if it was just finding a laundry bag or waking you up to get to class,” made her feel like she was part of a big family. Every single day at St. Mark’s was different and unexpected. Ms. LaFreniere discovered that even after many years at the school, she was still surprised by students every day, sometimes even faced “with questions that she couldn’t believe she didn’t know the answer to.”
During her 25 years at St. Mark’s, Ms. LaFreniere recalls that there have been many notable memories that she would never forget. Still, her favorite moment at the school was hearing “singing coming down the hallway from Rev. Talcott.” While this is a tiny moment, hearing the sound of Rev. T making music was always able to put a smile on her face.
After her retirement, Ms. LaFreniere plans to “do a bit of traveling, and enjoy time with her family and friends!” Everyone at St. Mark’s will be forever grateful for everything that Ms. LaFreniere has brought to us. From the temporary vexation of being told of missing a class or Chapel to the pleasure of stopping by and saying hi to her puppy, Ms. LaFreniere will be truly missed by all of the St. Mark’s community.