Chris Bivona has worked in West Hartford schools as a social worker for 33 years. She has been in the field of social work for almost 40 years. Mrs. Bivona  began at the off campus program, now called STRIVE, but the majority of those 33 years, she has been at Hall. When she was first hired there was only a part- time social worker in the system, so Mrs. Bivona was called to many other schools. Each year, more social workers were hired, and now we have a department of about 18.

Before working in West Hartford, Mrs. Bivona worked  at a residential school in the Berkshires, a hospital in Boston, and the Gengras Center in West Hartford.

Mrs.  Bivona is a strong, independent, caring person. She gives her heart out to students, shares experiences, and gives great advice. At the end of the day, she makes students feel great about themselves. How do I know this? Because I, (Jhanea) was one of her students for three years.  Mrs. Bivona said, “ I always enjoyed helping others and my parents were a great influence on me in this regard. I also have a special needs brother and he has had an impact on my decision as well.” She has been such an inspiration in people’s lives.

Mrs. Bivona is married and has two children, Marissa and Jenna. Her husband, Anthony, is a retired school administrator who was originally a psychologist. Marissa is a preschool teacher and is getting her masters in psychology. Jenna is a teen and children’s librarian at the Hartford Public library. Both were English majors in college. They all enjoy hiking, cycling, running and traveling during their spare time.

Mrs. Bivona  meets with students everyday, and hearing their stories, she said is the favorite part of her job.  “Watching them walk across the graduation stage after dealing with many obstacles shows how resilient young people can be. Seeing and supporting students so they can move forward with their school and work responsibilities. I am so impressed with their strengths, their positive attitudes and their ability to pull through,” she said.

Mrs. Bivona not only talks to her students and gives them advice, but she also learns a lot from her students and colleagues everyday. She strives hard for all her students to achieve greatness. Mrs. Bivona added, “I have also worked with students who go into the middle and high schools to do an anti-bullying program.”

In response to a question about challenges in the job, Mrs. Bivona expressed that “new technology has always been my challenge so I must ask questions and work harder than others to overcome this.”

We should all learn from Mrs. Bivona’s advice. “I would like to stress the importance of staying balanced. There are so many demands on students and the stress and anxiety levels can get intense so you must find time to do the things you love every day and to spend time with people you love. Different activities work for different people. Some prefer active sports, others music, yoga or meditation. Some may prefer a quiet mindful moment. All are fine!”

When asked how she was feeling about saying goodbye to Hall, Mrs. Bivona responded “Saying good-bye is sad because I will be leaving many wonderful students, colleagues and friends but exciting to begin a new chapter in my life.” She talks about how she is looking forward to travelling and spending more time with family and friends. She comes from a family of six kids so she has many nieces and nephews. Every year I think about staying one more year because I enjoy what I do so much. My husband has been retired for several years so he is ready for me to join him to travel and see family and friends more. “I am also looking forward to not being on a schedule.” Most of all, she says “I will miss the conversation and the laughs.”

Some of Mrs. Bivona’s colleagues express their feelings about her retirement: