The Lower School bids a very fond farewell to our esteemed colleague, veteran teacher and friend, Ms. Sophia Dorner. For the past five years, Ms. Dorner has been the Learning Specialist for grades Preschool – 2nd. Over those five years, she contributed and accomplished much more than can be captured here in a few paragraphs.
Ms. Dorner spent her years at D-E carefully addressing the literacy needs of even our youngest students. With her expertise in the Orton-Gillingham based program “The Wilson Reading System”, Ms. Dorner equipped the young readers in her care with a critically important foundation in reading, writing, and spelling. In addition to her dedication to her students, Ms. Dorner also served as a mentor to the adults at D-E. She led several professional development workshops as well as summer enrichment workshops for the teachers at The Lower School.
Ms. Dorner spent the last three years co-facilitating the implementation of the Lucy Calkins’ Units of Study in Reading and Writing. She dedicated many, many hours to her role as part of D-E’s Student Support Team (SST) and restructured our school’s relationship with Bergen County Special Services by serving as a liaison between families, teachers, and many service providers.
In her free time, Ms. Dorner spent countless hours on her own professional development and growth both during the school year and over the summers. She was always at the helm of diversity events and projects in The Lower School. Ms. Dorner will be missed for her belief in the potential of all young children, her high energy and warmth, and her professional expertise. We wish Ms. Dorner much success in her next chapter.