As the school year comes to a close, AHS students are preparing to say good-bye to the senior class. They must also prepare to say good-bye to some of the members of AHS’s faculty and staff. This year, for a variety of reasons, AHS is losing 20 staff members. Among the retirees is Choral Director Carleen Dixon, who has brought music to the halls of AHS for the past 16 years.

This year, seven teachers are retiring, five are resigning, six were de-staffed, and two are transferring to other FCPS schools. Teachers are generally de-staffed because of a school’s lack of space in that department, which means they become re-assigned to another school. Due to confidentiality, the names of the teachers who resigned, transferred and de-staffed have not been released. Along with Dixon, drama teacher Vikcy Farish, English teacher Nancy Grim, French teacher Rich Kearsley, ESOL teacher Susan Litwinetz, testing coordinator Paul Litwinetz, and math teacher Al Martin are all retiring. Many of the teachers who are retiring have chosen to keep their upcoming retirement private. According to Principal John Ponton, we have been losing an average of 30 teachers a year; therefore, this year’s numbers are fairly low.

“We will honor the retiring teachers at the faculty meeting at the end of the year and every teacher that is retiring will have something nice said about them by another member of the staff,” said Ponton. “On June 4, we will have a meeting where all the de-staffed teachers will be placed.”

Dixon’s retirement has been widely discussed by students and other faculty members. She moved to Northern Virginia and began working at AHS 16 years ago, where she began teaching chorus classes that were much different than the classes taught today. The whole program was struggling and many of the kids involved were only there to get an easy ‘A’. Slowly, Dixon began to make the changes necessary for the choral program to become as strong as it is today. She changed what was known as the Show Choir into the Annandale Singers, and replaced the Treble Choir with the Men’s Choral, an after-school choir for guys. Both choirs have been given amazing opportunities to sing in places like the Kennedy Center and the National Cathedral, and as the groups gained prestige, the kids were motivated to perform to a higher level.

Her second year, Dixon introduced Broadway Dessert, one of the most highly attended school functions today. Originally held in the cafeteria, it is now held at George Mason with sold out audiences each year. In 2002, Dixon introduced the program closest to her heart – the German Exchange Program. She was handed this program from her friend and colleague at Lake Braddock High School and the program has been a success at AHS since the first exchange.

“It’s provided so many amazing musical experience for the kids,” said Dixon. “And I love the new family we have in Germany.”

The one thing that Dixon says she will miss the most are her students. “They keep me young and they inspire me,” said Dixon. “I love seeing their faces when the have these incredible musical experiences for the first time, and I will definitely miss that.”

“I think it’s a great loss for the Choral Department. Even though I’ve only been here for two years, I’ve come to love working with Ms. Dixon and I will be sad whenshe leaves,” said sophomore Abby Fleming.

Many of these teachers have taught at AHS for a long time, and have become facets in the school. For many students, they feel irreplaceable. “I think it’s a sad thing for the school and for the department they are teaching in, no matter how many years they’ve taught, it’s a loss,” said junior Nick Doumbia. “But, it also brings opportunities for new teachers to teach the students.”

With all the news about teaching leaving, rumors have swirled about which ones are staying and which ones are packing their things to go. As for Principal Ponton, students do not have to worry about this being his last year. “This is my 30th year teaching in FCPS. I’ve spent my entire life in a classroom. When I came to AHS, I wanted to finish my career as a principal. We still have challenges that need to be met,” said Ponton. “Now I’m reassessing each year to see how much I’m putting in. You’ll know when I’m ready to go.”

Mrs. Dixon’s final performance will be on Saturday June 5, at Cornerstone Church (3901 Gallows Road).