When Kristina Geenty ’81 thinks back on fond family moments—like her wedding, or her two sons’ birthdays over the years, or moments with her parents—the backdrop is often the same: Worcester Academy.
Geenty is the daughter of legendary Hilltopper football coach Bob Macko, and her mom, Janet, worked on campus as a nurse for almost two decades. Geenty grew up in the dorms when the Mackos were dorm parents, enrolled as a student herself once the school went coed, and then came back to work on campus in 1990. She and her husband, John, held their wedding reception in the Megaron.
“We have a great photo of kids, my advisees, students we were close to, who attended the wedding—it was like a school event,” Geenty says. “It just showed how you were a member of a community and like a family. Some of those kids who were there that day, I still keep in touch and see them with their kids growing up.”
When her sons, Conrad and Turner, continued the family tradition and enrolled, Geenty found herself in a new role: WA parent and football mom.
Not only was Geenty around when Worcester Academy welcomed women students, but she was one of the teachers leading the way when they added a sixth grade in 1996. She’s taught many classes over the years, from history to Latin, and is the current chair of the world language department. She’s also served as an advisor and dorm parent. She represents a beautiful legacy of lifelong learning and leadership.
“I want to give back what I was given and to share that with the kids, the educational opportunities that I had. And to make sure I’m giving my kids in class the best chance to learn. You want students today to realize it’s cool to want to learn.”
