Written by Kayla Burt|
Photos by Morgan Pawprint|

This fall we welcomed six new staff members to the Morgan family:  Ashley Mirabile, Amanda Fairbanks, Science Teacher Abigail Walston, Guidance Secretary Janet Theiler, and Social Studies teacher Corey Zdunczyk. This month we welcomed English teacher Joanne Gallie. They have all been great additions to the staff, and we thank them for bringing what they have to offer to our school. We all know that getting a new job can be stressful, so we wanted to make sure that their transition to this school was as easy as possible.

Becoming a new teacher at a different school can be very intimidating. There are new students, new co-workers, a new environment, and new classrooms. These teachers must undergo a great deal of stress in this transition time-period.

Ms. Fairbanks found the “transition into Morgan an easy one thanks to so many helpful seasoned teachers in the building.” She explains how many of the teachers, such as Mrs. Chausse and Mrs. Cozzolino, had taken her under their wing and gave her excellent teaching advice to improve  her practice. The students also have helped her transition – They have shown her “what it means to live the Morgan way through their actions, interactions, and enthusiasm toward learning and helping one another.”

Ms. Gallie, also, agrees. She explains how all the teachers have been very welcoming and have helped her through the entire process. She was nervous coming in, but those feelings quickly vanished because of the helpful staff and students. She is one of our newest teachers here; she just recently started working this past week.

Also new to the school is Mrs. Theiler, the new Guidance secretary. Although she is organized by nature and likes this type of work, she felt slightly overwhelmed in the beginning of the year. “Sometimes I look up, and there is a line of students at my desk. I must have looked like a deer in headlights the first couple of months.”

Even though these transitions have been slightly stressful for the new teachers, they all have positive feedback to express about Morgan. For instance, Mrs. Fairbanks believes that Morgan is a “progressive school – we willingly embrace change to better our learning experiences. [The] teachers and students can learn from one another and feel comfortable discussing topics that concern the both of [them]. We function as a team that wants to see the best for everyone.”

We hope that the news faces to the staff enjoy being a part of this family we have here at Morgan. We thank them for all they have done for us and hope they will want to continue to work as part of our community for many more years.