Catherine Cassidy Was Born With a Love for History

Welcome back to another installment of our Schools-One-on-One feature where we profile the many individuals who make up the school community.

This week we sat down with Catherine Cassidy, interim assistant principal, teacher, history buff, and more.  

History has always been one of Catherine Cassidy’s great loves. In fact she says she may have been born loving it. The longtime high school teacher and now interim assistant principal at the middle school and high school knew from an early age that she wanted to teach history. 

Cassidy, who was born and raised right next door in Wood-Ridge, recalled being inspired by some of the history teachers she had in middle school and high school.  She knew then that teaching history was what she wanted to do.

Before coming to Hasbrouck Heights High School where she has taught history for 16 years mostly for grades 9, 10 and 12, Cassidy taught history at Saint Mary’s in Rutherford for three years.  In her early years at HHHS, she served as advisor for the mock trial team and she has also volunteered and coached the junior varsity softball team. This past fall she advised the Academic Quizbowl team and also oversees the student council.  

In addition to her love and interest in history, Cassidy also has history with the town she teaches in. Her mother’s family lived in Hasbrouck Heights and in fact her mother graduated from the high school.  Cassidy says Heights was always “home away home” as she spent a lot of time in town over the summers while growing up.

“I’ve always been connected to Hasbrouck Heights so it’s really nice working in this district and the kids are great,” she says.

Cassidy has been serving as interim assistant principal since Dec. 1 along with who shares the same title working with middle school principal who is currently serving as principal of the high school as well.

Cassidy says it’s really great working with Simmons and Mastropietro and she’s enjoying the role she’s currently in. “We’ve really hit the ground running and haven’t stopped, haven’t looked back and we are trying to make improvements in any area that we can,” she says.

Her interest in history has also fueled her in writing as she has authored books through Arcadia Publishing which publishes a series of local history books. Cassidy wrote two books – one on Hasbrouck Heights and Wood-Ridge. Proceeds from the Wood-Ridge history book go to that borough’s historical society and from the sale of the Hasbrouck Heights book proceeds go to the Friends of the Library to benefit the public library.

Cassidy also contributed to “New Jersey Goes to War- Biographies of 150 New Jerseyans” – An Official Publication of the New Jersey Civil War Heritage Association Sesquincentennial Committee. She is currently working on completing a book on a local Civil War Soldier.

In her hometown of Wood-Ridge, Cassidy has been serving as councilwoman for the past 14 years. She also is a member and Chairwoman of the Bergen County Open Space, Farmland, Recreation and Historic Preservation Trust Fund Advisory Board and has served on the state historical commission.