Teacher Appreciation Week: Susan Merritt

 

Susan Merritt has taught physical education and coached lacrosse and field hockey at NCS for 34 years. She is also a past member of the NCS Governing Board. Coach Merritt played on the national lacrosse team for six seasons, and she was a member of the 1982 U.S. team that won the inaugural Women's World Cup. She has been inducted into the US Lacrosse Hall of Fame by both the Baltimore and Potomac chapters. Coach Merritt holds degrees from the University of Maryland at College Park and the University of Colorado.

 

Following are remarks that physical education teacher and head field hockey coach Jane DeGrenier made at a May 5 reception to honor NCS's retiring faculty and staff:

 

"Susan Merritt has been an educator for 40 years. She has been a physical education teacher and field hockey and lacrosse coach at NCS for 34 of those years. Taking into account that she teaches in each division of this school, my rough calculations are that she has interacted with and impacted about 12,800 students, from fresh-faced and nervous 4th graders to exuberant graduating seniors.

 

"She is affectionately known to her players as Mama Merritt. This term of endearment shows how her players truly love and respect her and values Susan's role in their lives. She cares so much for her students and for her athletes, and she has infinite patience in teaching less experienced athletes.

 

"Susan was the first person I met when I stepped on the campus. She was instrumental in offering me a job here at NCS. I want to thank her for the years of friendship and for taking a chance on me 22 years ago. Susan and I have worked together and shared an office throughout all of those years, and you really do get to know a person, in such close quarters.

 

"I know that many former and current faculty and staff will remember fondly how Susan became our unofficial social chair. She planned several events each year to foster friendships among all the employees at NCS. She has organized bowling trips, snow-tubing trips and the like. The biggest event of the spring is always the cherry blossom walk, which takes place literally at the crack of dawn at the Tidal Basin. A large group of faculty and staff meet each year to greet the cherry blossoms at their peak.

 

"When Susan began to talk about the possibility of retirement and when might be the best time, she shared that, as a longtime teacher at NCS, she is now teaching the daughters of her former students and she had better get out before the first grandchild of a former student appeared on campus.

 

"Susan, I wish you a wonderful retirement and the opportunities to pursue many of your passions, which include travel and photography. I know you're looking forward to spending more time with your family. To say this place won't be the same without you is an understatement. You will be missed by so many. I know you plan to come back and see us, and we look forward to your return. Susan mentioned the other day, at our last home game, that she wouldn't have been here so long if she didn't love the work that she did and the people that she was with. And Susan, I just want to tell you that we love you right back."