At the end of this school year, math teacher and department head Arlene Hernon will be retiring after 31 years at STA. Hernon wrote that that her age is the primary reason she is leaving.
While she will be leaving STA, Hernon reflects fondly on her three decades at the Academy.
‘[I have had a] definitely positive [experience]!’Â Hernon wrote. ‘If not, I would have been long gone.’Â
Although Hernon has a long history with STA, her choice to retire took time to think about.
‘Retirement takes planning, so this was not a quick decision,’Â Hernon wrote.
Among some of the first people to know about Hernon’s retirement were her advisory who, according to Hernon, took the news well.
“My advisees know,” Hernon wrote. “They are the best!”
Junior Hanna Katz, who not only had Hernon as an advisor, but as a teacher as well, said it is difficult to think of Hernon leaving STA.
“It’s really weird to think about [Hernon] retiring because she has been a part of the STA community since I really started to know about [STA],” Katz said.
Before Hernon announced her retirement, STA planned to hire one new math teacher. Now, the school will hire two, according to principal for academic affairs Barbara McCormick.
‘One of the reasons [we are hiring a new math teacher] is because we increased the number of credits,’Â McCormick said. ‘A student has to have four years of math. Our enrollment has also increased in the lower grades, so as they move up, we have a need for more teachers.’Â
According to McCormick, the main goal of hiring an extra math teacher is to alleviate the teachers. Currently, each math teacher is teaching six sections per day, McCormick said, and by hiring a new teacher, each will teach five sections.
STA will also have to find a head of the math department. McCormick said the math department will meet sometime this spring to discuss who should take over. While McCormick and other administrators may discuss who should replace Hernon, the math department ultimately will decide.
As for her life after STA, Hernon will not be gone from STA completely.
“I plan to live a good life!” Hernon wrote. “Ms. Bone has asked me to sub, so you might see me occasionally.”
When asked about what she would miss about STA, Hernon wrote: her friends in the math department, collaborating with colleagues and especially her advisees.
Katz said she will also miss having Hernon as her advisor.
“I know I’m going to miss having Ms. Hernon as an advisor and I don’t envy whoever has to find her replacement,” Katz said. “She was not only a great advisor, but I also thought she was a fantastic teacher.”
