Emily Grillo is the newest addition to the math department, teaching both Algebra 1  and college algebra. Grillo grew up in Garden City with four brothers and one sister and currently lives in Levittown with her two children, Annie and Max, as well as her husband and cats. Her family is a huge part of her life. “My kids are my greatest accomplishment,” she said.  

Grillo has known she wanted to be a math teacher since she was in high school: “I always loved math; it was my favorite subject,” she explained. She was also inspired by the kind teachers she had growing up. She attended Adelphi University, where she switched majors several times and briefly studied psychology. Her love for math prevailed, however, and she returned to studying it.  

After earning her degree, Grillo went on to teach at Xaverian High School in Brooklyn for two years. While there, she taught Algebra 2 and pre-calculus. Afterwards, she taught geometry at South Side High School in Rockville Centre for four years. She said the most rewarding part of her career has been helping kids learn to love math. “I like helping students who think they don’t like math or can’t do it and helping them realize they can,” she said. 

Grillo is enjoying LHS so far. “Everyone is very friendly and welcoming; you can tell everyone loves the school, and there’s a good atmosphere around the building.” She continued, “I am super honored to be here.” While here, Grillo hopes to get more involved in clubs and other school activities as much as she can. When she is not in the building or with her kids, she loves to go on runs, cook for her family, ski in the winter, and watch a lot of The Real Housewives. 

Grillo’s students and fellow teachers say she is doing a fantastic job. Freshman Jocelyn Pineda said, “She is doing great, and makes the subject and the work really easy to understand.” Math teacher Jennifer Dakenbrink agreed, saying, “She is a great teacher; she is doing amazing.” Her students are excited to learn more from Grillo over the next few months, and she is looking forward to a great school year and career at LHS.