Gino Sorcinelli graduated from ARHS, and now he works here!
This year, Gino Sorcinelli, who graduated from ARHS in 2002, just joined the special education department at his alma mater. He began as the new Student Support Program (SSP) Case Manager at the end of August 2025. Sorcinelli brings a deep commitment to student well-being, collaboration, and balancing the many responsibilities that come with the role.
Although new to working at ARHS, Sorcinelli’s not new to the field of teaching. In fact, he’s worked in Amherst schools before — subbing at ARMS and Crocker Farm in the mid-2000s. He also worked as a paraeducator at ARMS from 2007 to 2011, and briefly at ARHS in 2012. Most recently, he spent over a decade, from 2012-2025, teaching at The MacDuffie School, a private preparatory school in Granby.
“I found out I was accepted [to the position] on July 1,” Sorcinelli said, describing the quick transition into his new role at ARHS. Since then, he’s jumped straight into a packed schedule of teaching, meetings, paperwork, and collaborating with staff across departments. “Every day is busy. There’s always something to do or check on, like how students are doing in their classes,” he said.
As the SSP Case Manager, Sorcinelli leads the program while reporting to Raloon Bialek, the head of the special education department. “Ms. Bialek is super supportive and kind,” he said. “She’s been great to work with.” He also praised the openness and support from other teachers, including science teachers Sara Dorsey and Krista Larsen, and social studies teacher Claire Cocco. “Teachers have been great about answering my questions, finding time to meet, and checking in about students,” he said.
Sorcinelli teaches Academic Skills for three periods each day, where students start with a group warm-up, check their grades on PowerSchool, and choose work to focus on. He tries to structure the day with a “work-break-work” rhythm to help students stay focused and engaged, while still fitting in relaxation.
Balancing responsibilities can be tough, especially with the many IEPs (Individualized Education Plans), 504 plans, and meetings involved in special education. “Sometimes balancing teaching, meetings, checking in with teachers and counselors, IEP writing, and IEP meetings is challenging,” Sorcinelli said, “but I also find working at ARHS rewarding, even when things are demanding and busy.”
Returning to ARHS after many years away has been an interesting experience for Sorcinelli. He noticed that the building’s layout had changed and that the student body was smaller than when he attended. “When I went here, there used to be around 1300 students,” he said. “It’s much [fewer] now.”
He’s especially happy to be back because of the environment at ARHS. “The kids are really supported here. It’s a huge thing and just makes the day better for them,” he said.
At MacDuffie, Sorcinelli was one of only two special education teachers. Now, he appreciates the larger team at ARHS. “Having more teachers centered around this means more ideas are passed around,” he said, expressing excitement about having more opportunities to collaborate and share ideas with others.
Outside of school, Sorcinelli lives in South Hadley with his wife Jenn, a special education teacher who works with younger students, and their two children: Maisie (2 years, 7 months) and Elio (7 months).
He enjoys spending time with his family, cooking simple but tasty meals like stir fry and pasta, and listening to music. He’s a fan of many genres, including rap, hip-hop, jazz, rock, and funk. Some of his favorites include De La Soul, Prince Paul, Georgie Ann Muldrow, Fleetwood Mac, and Simon & Garfunkel.
Though his days are full both at school and at home, he says he’s glad to be back at ARHS. “It’s definitely busy,” he said, “but I love working here.”
