Farewell and congratulations to this year’s retirees!

Danielle Magowan, Joan Benjamin, Lan Nguyen, and Robin Hood have given over 120 years of service to the WSD collectively.  As the 2020-21 school year draws to a close, we wanted to take this opportunity to recognize four invaluable staff members who will be retiring this year.

Danielle Magowan has been working at JFK for 21 years as a support staff member. She has worked to support students in their classrooms and in small groups. She has supported the teachers in their day to day work, and worked in our afterschool program. Danielle’s smile and positive impact has had a positive impact in the lives of countless staff and students over her two decades with us.

Joan Benjamin has been teaching at JFK for 41 years. She has been a classroom teacher, a local  standards board representative, and a member of the JFK leadership team. Joan has supported new team members, mentored new teachers, and supported the JFK community over her years. Her teaching has enriched the lives of countless students.

Lan Nguyen has been working at WSD for 16 years as our Vietnamese speaking Home School Liaison and ELL Program Assistant.  She has supported our Vietnamese speaking families and students during that time as well as taught countless numbers of other students with math & literacy skills. As a licensed math teacher she has brought great knowledge and instructional skills to her work with students. She has eagerly learned new programs, supported teachers’ connections with families and students and gone above and beyond to help anyone who needed it at WSD. We will miss her greatly as an amazing colleague and a wonderful friend. We wish her well in her retirement as she will have more time to spend with her family, including her two beautiful grandchildren.

Robin Hood has served the WSD community for 40 years! Over these four decades, Robin taught grades 1-4, was a Reading Specialist in the elementary and middle school, was our Special Education District Evaluator, a K-8 Assistant Principal, Director of Special Education and ELL and has been most recently the Director of Special Education and Early Learning. Wow! Robin’s tireless work and advocacy on behalf of all students, but particularly students with special needs has been exemplary and made a hugely positive difference in the lives of thousands over the years. Her attention to detail, leadership and enthusiastic and creative problem-solving have benefitted WSD and will be missed.  We wish her the very best in her retirement and future endeavors!