Conversation With
Shawna Trujillo and Mitch Neuger S
Students benefit from a great partnership among the Middle School faculty and parents.
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hawna Trujillo, Dean of the Middle School, and Mitch Neuger, a leader among the Middle School faculty, have in common their youth, their energy, a love of the process of building a small community, and a love for being in a classroom filled with what Shawna describes as "rowdy, hormonal, distractable, bright-eyed young people." Together, they are taking the lead in helping the Priory faculty reach a laudable goal—understanding what makes those young adolescents tick, and providing school experiences that make the most of this stage in their lives. Shawna comes to the task with a string of special training programs and awards. She was attracted to teaching this age because she remembers middle school as "not the best time of my life. I hope I can be a positive, empathetic adolescent supporter." Much of her day is devoted to chatting with students who drop in at her office or parents who phone for a quick consultation—and she enjoys this part of her work, she says. While wearing her administrator’s hat, she enjoys the daily trouble-shooting and the opportunity to help faculty attain their professional best, she adds. Shawna teaches in the eighth grade. Mitch discovered teaching while working as an intern at a summer program devoted to ending world hunger. Part of his work involved reading the stories of teachers, and he was struck by the importance of their work. A Yale graduate in American Studies, he loves the opportunity to help students learn the critical thinking skills and supportive community attitudes that bring vitality to a democracy, he says.
Last year, Mitch stood in as acting Dean through the fall while Shawna took a leave of absence for the birth of her second child. In the spring, he headed the committee that, in effect, led to diversified learning, a current theme, in professional development. Shawna lives on the campus with her husband Chris, and children Taylor, 3 and Parker, 1. Mitch also lives on the campus. —C. Dobervich Priory Middle School students seem to enjoy school. The record shows that they’re doing well when they go on to high school. What do you think is going right for these students? S—First, they benefit from a great partnership among the Middle School faculty and parents. Families are very supportive and encouraging. They provide so many, many things that encourage success. These students have successful behavior modeled for them both at home and at school— they’ve GOT to succeed! M—At school, students are surrounded by a group of caring adults. Each student may not connect with each teacher, but I think students recognize the adults in their school lives as being kind and open to them—making time and space even in class to talk about things that are important to them.
