Schools
Maria Vinci, EPCHS Math Teacher, Retiring After 25 Years At The School
Maria Vinci is the founder of the well-accomplished EPCHS Mathletes club and has served as head coach since its inception.
EVERGREEN PARK, IL - For the better part of the past quarter-century, Evergreen Park Community High School has boasted a Mathletes team that has regularly won contests and sent students to the ICTM State Math Contest. But none of that would have been possible without Maria Vinci, who has been the head coach since the beginning of the club’s existence at EPCHS.
“I have so many great memories of Mathletes,” said Vinci, who will be retiring at the end of this school year after a quarter-century of teaching at EPCHS. “I think the best ones involve our trips to the state math contest at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Illinois State University. It's great when the students visit a big college campus and can actually see themselves attending there.”
“Over the years, many EP alumni have met up with us at State and given our students tours and insights into college life.”
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Vinci’s first year at EPCHS was 2000-2001. She was working at another school when one of her colleagues there informed her of an opening for a math teacher at EPCHS.
“She called me during the summer, told me about a job opening and what a great school Evergreen was, and encouraged me to apply,” Vinci remembers. “I applied and got the job. I am so happy that I did! Evergreen Park High School has been a great place to work. I have enjoyed teaching here for the last 25 years!”
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The following school year, 2001-2002, is when the EPCHS Mathletes concept had its roots. Vinci and now retired EPCHS teacher Jamie Pembroke co-sponsored the Math Club.
“It then became a competitive club and the Mathletes were born,” Vinci said.
In the classroom, Vinci has taught exclusively in the math department, and has at one point or another taught every math class offered by the school.
Soon to be retired, Vinci looks forward to golfing and traveling more often.
“I will miss seeing the many caring faculty and staff who have become my friends every day and I will miss our many awesome students,” she said.
