By ETHAN BROWN
Jericho High School says farewell to 2 long-time faculty members, guidance counselor Ms. Mary Jo Moriarty and world language teacher Ms. April Song, who each made quite a difference in our community.
What Ms. Moritiaty loves most is assisting her students. She said, “I love working with the kids. Helping them, giving them guidance, helping them figure out what they want to do with their future, supporting them with their emotional needs.”
This was true throughout her 19 years at Jericho. In addition to counseling thousands of students, Ms. Moriarty was a club advisor for the National Honor Society, the Blue Key Club and the Student Ambassador Club.
Ms. Moriarty is not only appreciated by her students, parents, and staff here at Jericho High School. Just recently Ms. Moriarty was bestowed with a top honor in her field. She was awarded Counselor of the Year from the Nassau Counselors’ Association.
After retirement Ms. Moriarty plans to teach yoga to children and spend time with her 7 grandchildren. Ms. Moriarty is also looking forward to trips to Greece and Alaska.
Ms. Moriarty’s main advice to students is, “Make the best of every day here at Jericho, take advantage of the resources that are offered to you.”
Ms. Moriarty emphasizes enjoying the high school experience. “Getting a high school diploma is not just about the actual diploma, it’s about the memories that you create. So get involved. Enjoy every minute,” she said.
Ms. April Song is retiring after teaching in Jericho for 23 years. She began teaching Mandarin Chinese in the elementary schools before moving to the high school. Ms. Song has fond memories of coordinating numerous events. She said, “Over the years, I think there were 200 celebrations across the three elementary schools.”
In addition to teaching Chinese, Ms. Song organized an exchange program for her students that lasted almost a decade. “The students who were in the program were paired with students from a secondary school in China,” she said.
These students had conversation with each other long distance and then the students visited each other, staying with families and visiting schools. Ms. Song explained that allowing her students to improve their understanding of Chinese by visiting China “was one of the most amazing memories that I have with Jericho students.”
Ms. Song believes in the importance of passion. She said, “Whatever you do, do it because you love it. Pursue something that you are passionate about.”
Ms. Song’s advice to students is to remember to maintain good health by getting enough sleep and not skipping meals. She said, “Health and happiness–you should prioritize these two things first.”
In retirement, Ms. Song plans to transition to working part time and then fully retiring. She also plans to focus on her own wellbeing. She said, “I will spend more time reading books, exercising, and making food for the family.”