Mayra Hernandez Abreu

LHS Teacher Marybeth Maynard

After 32 years of service to Leominster, Mary Elizabeth Maynard will be retiring at the end of the 2024 and 2025 school year. 

Maynard has been teaching Sociology, Psychology, and Abnormal Psychology at Leominster High School for 32 years. She also works for Mount Wachusett Community College as an adjunct professor for Psychology and Abnormal Psychology. She is also a licensed social worker in the state of Massachusetts. 

Maynard attended Fitchburg High School and graduated in 1981. Maynard is also an undergraduate of the College of the Holy Cross with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Psychology and a Certificate in Gerontology.  She earned a Masters degree from the Boston College Graduate School of Social Work with a concentration in Social Planning and Community Organization. She earned another Masters degree from Anna Maria College with a Masters in Education. She currently holds 5 teaching certificates in the state of Massachusetts.

Maynard said her experience at LHS was challenging, but very enjoyable too. She became a teacher because she loves talking about important issues with students,  learning new things, and then sharing them with her students. Her favorite thing about teaching is the interaction with the students both the small talk and the teaching of the material. 

LHS Senior Timothy Gerhard said, “Maynard was my favorite teacher I had my junior year. During the time I had with her, my favorite part of the day was when I was in her class.”

LHS Teacher Scott Percival added,  “She’s always very genuine to everyone: students, faculty, and other staff and she was great to have in the D wing.”

Mrs. Maynard believes that she was meant to be a teacher. Teaching for her is a vocation, not a profession. 

“My favorite part of teaching is getting a student that does not have much academic push to become excited about learning and then become successful and get an A or B in my class,” she said. 

 She will miss helping students in all ways she said. 

LHS Senior Vincent Budd said that students know she cares. “Mrs. Maynard makes it a point to individually say bye and have a good day to every student as they walk out of her class,” Vincent said.

Leominster High School Principal Dr. Joshua Romano added, “I have known Ms. Maynard for many years. She has an enthusiastic and outgoing personality and LHS will lose a lot of sunshine when she leaves us.”

After retirement, Maynard said she would like to travel, and counsel people with her LCSW license part-time. She may also teach part-time at a school in addition to her job as an adjunct professor at Mount Wachusett Community College.