Devin Boulanger, Reporter
Photos by Devin Boulanger
At the end of this school year, school counselor Ann Vernon will retire and move on to a new chapter of her life. Ms. Vernon has been working at NCHS since 2005.
Throughout her time working, Ms. Vernon has had many incredible interactions with students. “I mean, everyday, I get to see my students go from ninth grade till 12th grade. I can see how much they grew and excelled through the years which has been the most fun to see,” she said.
Students and colleagues have also reflected on Ms. Vernon’s impacts on the school. Cynthia Rivera, the School Counseling Department Chair said, “Ms. Vernon has always been incredibly kind and gentle. She values working with students more than anything else, and is always working with her students and looking out for their best interests.”
After retiring, Ms. Vernon hopes to spend time playing golf and traveling. “One of my goals is to become a much better golfer. I want to lower my handicap by ten strokes,” she said. “I also hope to travel big time, and my first two places to go are Italy and Ireland.”
While also traveling and having fun, Ms. Vernon is looking to use her extended knowledge about colleges to help students. “I’m very experienced at the college process, so I’m planning to do some volunteer work. There’s a program called MatchLighters that I have worked on the past two years and that’s taking a student who is underserved and helping them through the college process, so I was going to try to get more involved with that,” Ms. Vernon said.
Although retiring can often bring sadness, Ms. Vernon is ready for her next adventures and is eternally grateful for her time at NCHS. “I am going to miss my job. But, it’s time to pass it on to the next person,” she said.
