There are people who run schools, and then there are people who help make schools run smoothly.
Put Lauren Mezzetti in the latter category. She was, by definition, a science teacher at Lynn English. But leaving it at that would do her memory a gross disservice.
Probably every school has someone like Lauren Mezzetti in its midst. People like Mezzetti are the fabric that weaves its way through the community, uniting it and giving it purpose.
However, those who knew her say that even in that realm, Lauren Mezzetti was a cut above. She was, for all intents and purposes, Ms. Lynn English.
Mezzetti, 62, died unexpectedly Saturday night. Earlier in the evening, she had been texting friends who were watching English play Lowell in the MIAA Division 1 North final, keeping up with the game.
“We were all going to go out to dinner, and she called and said she couldn’t go because she wasn’t feeling well,” said English principal Tom Strangie, his voice cracking several times Monday. “She was texting us, saying she wished she was with us. The game went into overtime and we all got absorbed.
“Then I got a call Sunday morning from her sister, saying she had passed,” said Strangie.
“She was a Bulldog, through and through,” Strangie said.
“She supported everything at English,” he said. “If there was a game, she was there. If there was a play, she was there. She would go to the prom, she planned the proms, she’d go to the pep rallies, everything. She lived for Lynn English.”
She may have taught during the school day, but it’s what she did when the regular school day was over that made her so special.
“There were so many different kids, from so many different backgrounds, and so many different circumstances, and she treated them all as if they were special,” said alumna Bella diGrazia, a former Item reporter who now works as a social media director for Channel 7 in Boston. “She gave everything she had to English. She considered students extensions of her family.”
One of the many stories people have shared since Mezzetti died Saturday involved Tim Ring, her best friend in every way.
“I don’t usually use the term ‘soulmate,’ but they were soulmates,” said diGrazia.
Ring died on March 4, three years ago. Last week, on the anniversary of his death, Mezzetti posted on Facebook that it had been three years since his death.
“Imagine that,” diGrazia said. “They were our class advisers for four years. They did everything they could for us, and for the English community.”
“His death hit her very hard,” said Dick Newton, English’s athletic director. “They did everything, and did it together. When he died, she carried on.”
Newton remembered Mezzetti’s enthusiasm as the school’s tennis coach — a job she had for 15 years.
“She did a great job,” he said. “She got a lot of numbers for that program.”
But it was her overall devotion to the school that impressed Newton.
“She certainly left the place a lot better off than it was when she got here,” he said.
Monday was a tough day at English, Strangie said.
“There were a lot of tears, and a lot of memories, both from students and staff,” Strangie said.
To accommodate teachers and students who wanted grieve as a school community, Strangie scheduled an after-school session in the auditorium.
“I felt it was important to bond,” he said. “This is a huge loss.”
“Public schools need people like Lauren Mezzetti,” said diGrazia. “Her death leaves a huge void in the school and it’s going to take a long time to fill it.”
For those who would like to remember her, a scholarship fund in her name has been set up. Memorial donations may be made to the “Lauren Mezzetti Scholarship Fund,” payable to Lynn English High School, c/o Thomas Strangie, Principal, 50 Goodridge St., Lynn, MA, 01902.
