By: Emdad S & Katherine Herrera
Ms. Grogan, an English teacher who has taught at Herndon Middle for six years, is now joining us at Herndon High! She was born and raised in Scranton, Pennsylvania, which happens to be the same hometown as the current U.S. President Joe Biden. “President Biden and I actually went to the same elementary school, though not at the same time obviously.” She graduated from Penn State University with a Bachelor’s & Master’s degree.
Most know Ms. Grogan as a huge college football fan; she often spends her Saturdays watching her Nittany Lions in action. Of course as a Scranton native, her favorite TV show is The Office. On becoming a Hornet she said, “I am really excited to be at Herndon High, I loved working at Herndon Middle, and it is great to be back working at a high school, the best part is seeing so many of my former students.” The biggest difference she has noticed is how mature everyone is. “It is so cool to see all of you that I knew as kids, now all grown up and young men and women.” She might be new to Herndon High, but not new to teaching at a high school. “Originally I taught at a high school in Pennsylvania, then when I moved to Virginia, I got a job at the middle school. I always knew I wanted to go back to high school teaching, and when I saw HHS had a job opening, I thought that would be the most natural transition back to high school because I was already familiar with the students and the community.”
Many teachers have made the HMS to HHS transition, and Ms. Grogan has been in contact with a couple of them regarding the move. “I reached out to Mr. Pafumi, Ms. Glazier, Ms. McDonald, and Ms. Eatmon about the move, they all encouraged me to do it. They all said coming to Herndon High was one of the best decisions they’ve ever made. They were absolutely a part of the reason why I came here.” She added, "I hope to bring a lot of excitement and make it clear to all of the teachers and students that I really like working in the Herndon community.” When it comes to college and making that big decision, Ms. Grogan has some advice: “Really think about what you want, make a decision on what YOU want to get out of your post-high school education. I wanted to be at a place that had infinite possibilities in terms of majors, people I could meet along the way, and programs I could get involved in, Penn State really aligned with me.”
Many students are looking forward to seeing one of their beloved middle school teachers follow up with them in high school. From both of us and the entire school, we want to give a huge welcome to Ms. Grogan as she joins Herndon High!
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