Class of 2012
Romeo Berthiaume enjoyed a 35-year career in education. He taught history at Woonsocket High School and chaired the Social Studies Department for ten years.
Throughout Romeo’s career his students were top priority. Mr. Berthiaume was involved in student activities beyond the classroom. He promoted the values of good American citizenship and involved them in numerous community projects. As a result, he is regarded as a role model for thousands of his former students.
Romeo has always believed in giving back to his community. He has demonstrated this in many ways.
During the American Bicentennial celebration in 1976, he headed a program whereby students created scripts based on Woonsocket history. Those scripts were recorded by many local citizens. The so-called Bicentennial Minutes were published in the local newspaper and broadcast over the local radio stations.
In 1988…Romeo co-authored a Woonsocket Centennial Book which traced the history of the city.
He also developed a program to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He recruited three Pearl Harbor veterans to tell their stories to Woonsocket High School students.
He also served on a committee which planned the belated graduation of about 125 World War II veterans from Woonsocket High School. This special graduation was a way of expressing gratitude for those veterans who left school to fight in the war.
Romeo volunteers at the Museum of Work and Culture in Woonsocket. He is best known for playing the character of Jean Boisvert, a mill agent who recruited residents from the villages of Quebec to come to Woonsocket and work in the textile mills.
For his service to the community Romeo was named Citizen of the Year in 2009 by the Woonsocket Kiwanis Club. He was the Woonsocket Teacher of the Year in 2003 and 2004.
