In a school year replete with changes, there are plenty of fresh faces in the virtual hallways at Morton West:  and it isn’t just the new Freshman.

Morton West is celebrating several new staff members that were hired this year. According to assistant principal Mr. Dugan, there has been a total of nine new hires to Morton West.

Mr. Dugan is also a new addition to Morton West but that doesn’t mean he’s not experienced with the Mustang family. As a former teacher at Morton East who worked as a Dean of Students, Mr. Dugan was able to transition easier to Morton West. Mr. Dugan states “I wish that it would be a regular school year and I’m making the most of it and trying to get involved in as many fun things as the students are doing.”

Even with the pandemic, new teachers are trying their best to get involved with the students of Morton West. This pandemic has caused problems with new teachers trying to connect with their students. However, Ms. Mendez tries her best to understand the problems of other students.

Ms. Mendez, a Morton West Alumni, was hired to Morton West High school this year. The transition to remote learning was difficult to Ms. Mendez, she states that “Its definitely been something to learn, I didn’t really know how to handle it because it’s very different from in-person classes and what you should be expecting from your students.”

Ms. Mendez, like other teachers, is trying to be mindful of the mental health of the students. Ms. Mendez does daily checkups with her students and tries to find a timeline that will work best for the students so they don’t get overwhelmed with the work.

There are also a variety of teachers that changed to different subjects like Former Dean McGlennon who is now teaching PE. Ms. Dayhoff also changed from teaching Spanish for six years to becoming the dean of students for the freshman academy. West also has a new principal this year:  Ms. Cavanaugh, who worked as a social science teacher at Morton’s alternative school for eight years before serving most recently as Assistant Principal of Operations.

With every new school year, there are always new changes to the school, and of course this year isn’t any different. With everything from the pandemic to remote learning, this school year has been something to get used to. It’s been difficult for both students and teachers alike but there’s reason to celebrate the new members of the Morton Mustang family.