It is our pleasure to announce Seneca High School’s 2021 Teacher of the Year: MORGAN CROTHERS

First and foremost, Morgan is one of the most caring staff members we have at Seneca. All you need to do is observe her once to see her warmth in the classroom and to fully understand the kind of environment that she creates for her students.  Academically, Morgan challenges her students who often have many challenges of their own. She can adapt a lesson to meet the needs of all her students while juggling their many needs as individuals.  Her high expectations work in concert with her ability to get to know her students as well as anyone at Seneca. Morgan demonstrates amazing patience as she will often work one-on-one with students to help them achieve their best.  Morgan’s contributions extend beyond the classroom as well.  As department coordinator, she treats her department members as professionals and holds herself - and them - accountable to those high standards.  Morgan was an integral part of starting a cohort of teachers doing peer observation so they could grow their craft. In addition, she started conversations with other teachers who teach freshmen to help those teachers reach our struggling students as they arrive at Seneca.  She leads by example and will often make sacrifices to make sure that her department members are taken care of.  She has taken the lead on countless initiatives and is an integral part of the leadership team at Seneca High School.

It is our pleasure to announce Seneca High School’s 2021 Educational Services Professional of the Year: DEB DOOLITTLE

As a paraprofessional, Deb has embraced her role at Seneca High School. The role of a paraprofessional often is overlooked and undervalued, but the teachers that have seen Deb in the classroom can attest to her ability to de-escalate any intense situation. Deb is often given the most challenging students; however, her firm, consistent and caring personality is able to help students focus on the task at hand.  She will listen to students’ frustrations, and through her nurturing and caring approach, she is able to help any student overcome those frustrations and inspire them to do and be their best.  Since Deb is in many different classrooms and varied subjects, this requires Deb to learn a lot about diverse content. She accepts this task with enthusiasm and joy. She works with the teachers to learn the content so that she can help all students achieve their best.  Outside the classroom, Deb is a mainstay at Seneca activities. She is at all our events, cheering and encouraging all our students to shine their brightest. In the hallways, you can hear her building relationships with students and encouraging them as they navigate our building. Seneca is lucky to have such a valued and invested staff member.