Revere High Alumni at the Helm of the RHS Guidance Department

By Melissa Moore-Randall

Amy Chamberlin and Diana DiChristoforo Finn have been walking the halls of Revere High School for almost 20 years. They first stepped into RHS as student-athletes and today are the glue of the Guidance Department that services close to 2,200 students.

Chamberlin is the Lead Guidance Counselor.  “I currently have a caseload of about 330 students but with our restructuring this year that will be smaller. Diana is my direct report so we work together very closely.  I love working with her, and I have so much respect for all she manages.  No one works harder or is more organized than Diana. She manages all MCAS testing for 2200 students, SATs, PSATs, AP testing, oversees all new student registrations, and is responsible for creating our master schedule. She also oversees college/career initiatives like Early College, internships, and dual enrollment.”

Finn is currently the Director of Guidance. After graduating from Mt. Holyoke College in 2003, she started teaching English at RHS for eight years.  After receiving her Master’s in counseling, she became  a counselor, the senior class AP, and finally the Director of Guidance.

Finn added, “Our RHS leaders have worked tirelessly to develop new support teams going into next year so each student has a variety of support if and when they need it.  I am looking forward to working with Amy, the counseling team and RHS leadership to build teams of adults that support students in whatever way they need it.  In addition, we are proud of our first cohort of early college students who’ll be starting up at NSCC in the Spring 2024 semester.  These students have the opportunity to earn up to 30 transferable college credits.”

Both look back fondly on their days as student/athletes at RHS.   “Academically speaking, the education I received at RHS was second to none. Athletically she played basketball, soccer, and tennis.  I actually played with two of Diana’s cousins, Carrie Welch and Karen Jouve who is also a 1000 point scorer and was an AWESOME teammate.  Senior year I was also defensive captain for PowderPuff which was THE most fun I ever had athletically.  I loved the game of football itself, but the coaches Mr. Lospenatto, Mr. Colella, Rico Finelli, and Steve MacDonald were awesome!  As coaches they knew how to build a team but also made it so much fun,” reminisces Chamberlin, a 1993 graduate.

Diana played three sports at RHS  soccer, basketball and tennis including being a 1,000 point scorer for the Lady Pats before graduating in 1995. “As an elementary and middle school student, my family was always at RHS games for my cousins. By the time I got to RHS, I was so excited to be part of the same tradition.  By the time I was a senior, I was playing three sports and was the captain of each.  In basketball, we made the MIAA tournament three out of four years.”

When they began their careers at RHS, they also started their time as coaches for basketball.  “We worked those girls hard but also tried to balance it with fun.  We both felt it was important to build a strong team atmosphere so we always had bowling or movie nights, pool parties, scavenger hunts, and more for the kids.  We are both super competitive so we always wanted to win, but we also realized that the lessons our players learned from sports would extend far beyond their time with us.  We always wanted our players to make Revere proud, win or lose.  At the time we were in the NEC playing towns like Marblehead, Swampscott, Danvers. Like most people from Revere, you know when you enter some places what the preconceived notions about us are and we wanted to show them every time how wrong they were.  Beyond having a winning program, I was always so proud of the sportsmanship they displayed. We were blessed with some amazing young women through the years including Lauren Forgione, Gena Restiano, Caitlyn Caramello, Paige Licata, Morgan Jenkins, Ashley DiFriaia, Melissa Adreani, Marisa Parent, Eddie Berry, Julie Lu, Gia Ciccolo, Michaela Maguire, Alex Ambrosino to name a few.  Diana is no joke and means business.  That is why she is so successful. They were always a bit intimidated by her at first but once they got to know her they soon realized that no one has a bigger heart or would do more for her players.  We worked well together.  We were like parents in the sense that she was the more strict parent. I was more comic relief when things would get heavy and be there to wipe their tears after a tough loss,” laughed Chamberlin.

Finn had similar thoughts about their coaching time together. “Coaching with Amy was a highlight in my coaching career.  We held players to high expectations in the classroom and on the court.  We played off of each other well in practice and games.  Together we worked to grow our basketball knowledge and know our players off the court so we could motivate them on it.    I had the best time coaching, especially with Amy. The kids worked hard and I hope learned that the most challenging things in their lives are the most rewarding. It’s the hard part that makes it great. Amy was incredible at developing ways to motivate players individually so they could come together as a team working towards a common goal.  In many ways, these skills make her an incredible school counselor as well – knowing her craft, motivating her students and collaborating with colleagues to improve each day.”

“We are both Revere kids that are passionate about this community and its students.  We had a great experience at RHS and were blessed to have amazing teachers, coaches and administrators and want to offer our students the same type of experience,” said Chamberlin. Finn added, “Going into my 21st year at RHS, I am as excited as ever about working at RHS and being a Patriot.”