Mrs. Venezio is usually seen shuffling about the shelves of the Niskayuna High School library, making sure that it continues to be a place of tranquility. Some students see the her as an annoyance, not wanting to get warnings about getting kicked out of the library due to their noise level. Others actually like to greet her as they enter the library to find a quiet place to study. With such polarizing views on her, there is no doubt that Mrs. Venezio is considered the most infamous figure in the Niskayuna school library. However, many forget that Mrs. Venezio is also a person. A person who's been through much more than the students she has to deal with daily. A person who's had fears, hopes, disappointments, and dreams just like the rest of us. For a person that is seen everyday by most students, not many of them actually put in the time to get to know her.
For starters, Mrs. Venezio wasn’t always a watchful library assistant. Back in 1977 after graduating from high school, she attended the Europa Beauty school in Schenectady to learn hair styling. Once out of school, she started cutting hair professionally for four years at Remo Unisex in Scotia, NY. When asked why she wanted to pursue a career in cosmetology Venezio replied “I just loved cutting hair”. She specified later on that It brought her joy that she was helping people look their best.
Unfortunately, when she realized that hair styling ultimately wasn’t a stable source of income, she knew had to find a new career. Even when she was faced with this dilemma, Mrs. Venezio knew what she wanted to do: to help others. She was quickly able to find a position as a bookkeeper at Ellis Hospital, keeping records on critical items such as organs, blood, and bone marrow. During her time there she saw many children that needed these items for special treatments, which inspired her to once again change her career path into education.
In 1989 Mrs. Venezio ventured into working in a school environment as a substitute teacher at Hillside elementary school right here in Niskayuna. This is where also she started to get more experience with handling kids as a bus aid, a recess aid, a lunch room aid, and a study hall teacher. As time passed however, she started to work more with special ed students in Rosendale Elementary, staying after school to assist them in their school work.
In 2000, Mrs. Venezio was given a great opportunity when she was asked to work at Niskayuna. While she does work in the school library to this day, her passion to help disadvantaged students continues over the summer as a special ed teacher and an advisor for the work study program.
Though Mrs. Venezio considers the library to be “like her second home” it is not her only domain. She loves to garden, and is part of Niskayuna’s horticulture club, “My favorite aspect to gardening is seeing something grow due to someone’s hard work and care” said Mrs. Venezio describing why she loves spending time outside with her students.
Outside of school Mrs. Venezio continues to foster her green thumb by maintaining her huge home garden. Not only does she love nature, Mrs. Venezio is also all about staying fit. Her husband of thirty five years, Bob, keep up an active lifestyle together, going on nightly bike rides everyday. Yoga is another staple recreation in her schedule, an activity whom she partakes with retired Niskayuna library assistant, Mrs. Edwards.
However, Mrs. Venezio doesn't forget to indulge. Her and her husband go out to eat with their friends regularly through the whole week. Mrs. Venezio stated how Sunday was her favorite day “Everyone on my street knows when there’s a Venezio family dinner going on” she said smiling as she described her huge family gatherings on Sunday nights.
Mrs. Venezio probably has developed a tough skin over the years, but if you look beyond her role in the school library it is easy to see that she is a warm, kind hearted woman. When asked what her favorite aspect of working in Niskayuna was she confidently replied “working with the kids”. Venezio says that having to yell or tell students what to do is her least favorite aspect of her job, describing the experience as if a “knife was piercing through me”. It was obvious by interviewing Mrs. Venezio that she takes the greatest joy in seeing others succeed. At home she is a loving wife and mother, making sure she spends her time with her family without missing a beat. It’s amazing to see how if you just talk to a person you barely know, even for just a few minutes, the amazing stories and experiences they can tell you.
