Two science department teachers, Mrs. Erin Johnson and Ms. Ashley Bailey, are leaving campus after the school year to focus on the next chapter of their lives.
“Change is inevitable in education, people coming in and coming out is hard sometimes,” Mr. Erich Means said. “Hopefully we can lessen a little bit of that change but I am sure that the people we get are going to be fantastic.”
After 14 years of teaching on campus Johnson, a chemistry and honors physics teacher is retiring to take a more active role in her children’s lives as they grow older.
“As much as running around town and taking them to a million practices at different places will be challenging in its own way, [I am looking forward to] being there for my kids and allowing my husband to further his career,” Johnson said.
Johnson learned how to teach an AP class as a new teacher, having to develop new curricula and create notes, but was able to overcome this challenge.
“I think I’ve grown as a leader within the department. I came into a working chem department, and now I help run the chem department,” Johnson said. “I had to be a [one person Professional Learning Community] by myself in physics for a long time, but it’s been nice to be able to collaborate and get new ideas from Mr Bill Kurnett. I think I’ve really honed in on my process, and I’m confident, if I go anywhere else, that I can take what I’ve learned here wherever else I go.”
After working on campus for over a decade, Johnson has gotten to know and grown close to the staff who she will miss the most after retiring.
“I really like my coworkers a lot, and obviously students, but it’s the coworkers that are here day after day, year after year, that you bond with and talk with. You learn their stories and watch their children grow, and I’ll miss them,” Johnson said.
Means has known Johnson throughout all of her time on campus.
“I went to her wedding, I know her really well. I’m sad that I don’t get to interact with her as much anymore anymore, especially when she leaves but I’m happy for her because I think she’s really going to enjoy her next steps,” Means said.
Given that Means stepped down last year to become this year’s athletic director, he shared how he will be back in the classroom next year, helping to fill the gaps.
“I’ve always loved sports, but the thing I missed most was interacting with students,” Means said. “Normally I know at least 150 freshmen, but this year I knew none. Overtime, I won’t know any. I used to thrive off of those interactions, and that’s something I want back.”
Another change within the science department is Bailey leaving to spend more time with her newborn. Bailey has only been teaching for one year, but after recently giving birth to her daughter Georgia, she decided to resign. Within a child’s first five years of development, it goes through immense and novel changes to set them up for their future, something Bailey said she was certain she didn’t want to miss.
“After having a baby, your body and hormones go through crazy shifts. I want to take more time to heal mentally and physically, and of course spend more time with my baby,” Bailey said. “Georgia has already grown around four inches, and she’s always learning new things. Time is something we don’t get back.”
Bailey taught both biology and chemistry. Although her time here was short-lived, she shared how she was still able to form a connection with her students and peers.
“I had really good classes, and I’m going to miss my students and coworkers the most. I loved Whitney so much, which made it a really tough decision to leave,” Bailey said. “I haven’t taught here long, but maybe in the future I’ll come back if another science position opens.”
by ALLIE BOSANO, NATALIE DEEBLE, SIERRA OROSCO & SASHA SMITH
