Mary Morante

Mary Morante moved to Bethpage in 1958 with her husband Nick.  Nick was a Driver Education teacher at Bethpage High School and established a reputation for being the preeminent expert on all things related to driver and safety education in New York State.  In 1964 Mary decided to apply for a clerical position at Bethpage High School.  Over the years she became the primary person responsible for attendance and enrollment in Bethpage.  Tens of thousands of students answered to her over the years on their attendance or tardiness. She was one of the foremost experts on Sun Valley, one of the original computerized student management systems.  It was not unusual for Sun Valley to call her for advice on how to do tasks within their own system. Along with Mary’s jovial and welcoming personality is a woman who viewed her job as a true responsibility and dedicated herself to doing it with perfection.  Years later Mary served as a clerical person in the BHS Library where she thoroughly enjoyed interacting with students.  She has always been known for her quick wit and tasteful jokes. While Mary may have pretended to show off her kickboxing skills, she was more likely to give you an encouraging pat on the back or a warm embrace.  Mary decided to retire in 2012 after 46 years of working in Bethpage.  At home Mary is always surrounded by BHS Golden Eagles- her daughter Madelyn, son-in-law Marc Sieben and grandchildren Nicole and Joanna.  In total Mary has three children, Linda, Joseph and Madelyn, 7 grandchildren, and 5 great granddaughters. Mary has touched many lives with her warm and caring ways and continues to do so as an active Bethpage community member.