Each year, AHS must say goodbye to a few faculty and staff. Staff are either retiring or leaving for different opportunities.
One teacher leaving AHS at the end of this year is English teacher Bonnie Vining. Vining has been teaching at AHS for 18 years.
She has taught all levels of English as well the Peer Tutoring class for over ten years. Vining was also the JV girls lacrosse coach for eight seasons and was one of the graduation coordinators for ten years.
“My favorite thing about AHS is the people. I have met so many interesting students and teachers, and I have learned from all of them,” Vining said. “I will miss the friendships I have made with my colleagues and students.”
Vining is leaving AHS because she is ready for a new adventure.
ESOL teacher J.J. Day will also be leaving AHS. Day has taught at AHS for three years and has been teaching for 12 years in total.
Day has taught English for students of other languages, government, and strategies for success as well as co-teaching in world history.
“[My favorite thing about AHS is] the friendliness of the staff and students,” Day said. “I will really miss working with the teachers, especially in the ESOL and Social Studies Departments.”
Day is leaving AHS to help his family in California.
AHS is actively recruiting new staff members to fill the positions that are becoming vacant.
Vacancies are posted onto the AHS website and applicants are then screened and interviewed to find the best fit for the AHS community.
“I think it [staff leaving] is bittersweet,” principal Shawn DeRose said. “I can not say enough thank you’s to the staff who are moving in a different direction. Either retiring or trying another endeavor in the future. Thank you so much for your hard work and dedication to the students at Annandale. You will be missed.”
Another staff member leaving AHS is math teacher Ducchi Quan. Quan has taught at AHS for four years.
“My favorite thing about AHS is my colleagues,” Quan said. “I will definitely miss my coworkers. Obviously students as well, but students move on because they graduate. Some of my freshman students that I taught first year, I will get to see their graduation this upcoming week, so that will be nice. At the end of the day, the staff makes the building so I will miss my colleagues.”
In his four years, Quan has taught algebra one, geometry, geometry honors, geometry plus, and IB computer science.
“I feel kind of sad that Mr. Quan is leaving. He was a great teacher and he will be dearly missed,” senior Finn Scott-Daniels said.
Quan is leaving AHS to see how teaching is done in other parts of the county.
AHS wishes all staff who are leaving good luck in whatever they decide to do in the years that come. The AHS community would not be the same without the wonderful teachers and faculty that fill the building.