FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — After more than three decades in the classroom and a combined 74 years of teaching experience, two Central Unified educators who have worked side by side since the beginning are retiring together at the end of the school year.
Mary McHatton and Lisa Papaleo have been fixtures at Liddell Elementary School since it opened in 1998.
The two teachers graduated college together, worked at Madison Elementary together and even interviewed for their jobs at Liddell as a pair.
“We walked in together with our arms linked, and said, ‘Yeah, we go as a team,'” Papaleo said. “So if you’re taking one of us, you’re taking both of us or we’re both staying.”
Their professional paths continued to mirror one another beyond the classroom.
Now, they are preparing to conclude their careers together as well.
“Thirty-seven years it’s been,” McHatton said.
“A blink. It’s been a blink,” Papaleo added.
Over the years, the women have adapted to significant changes in education.
They also said teaching has increasingly included social-emotional learning, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Through it all, both said one of the most meaningful parts of their careers has been watching families grow over generations.
“I love having the little brothers and sisters of students I’ve had in the past,” McHatton said. “I’ve had children of students that I have had, which is wild.”
As they prepare to leave the classroom, both educators hope the lessons they emphasized will continue to resonate with students.
For Papaleo, it means modeling lifelong learning – earning her master’s degree in educational technology at 50 and completing a yoga certification four years ago.
Both said they are looking forward to spending more time as grandmothers, but they will miss their colleagues and the school community.
“We have so many good memories together and just working here – it’s really, really been fantastic,” McHatton said. “I have had a blessed career,” Papaleo said. “I couldn’t have asked for it to be – or it to go any better than it has.”
With McHatton and Papaleo’s retirement, district officials said only six staff members remain at Liddell Elementary who have worked there since the school first opened.
