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Dr. Mary DiQuinzio Retires After 18 Years at NCS
Dr. Mary DiQuinzio has instructed kindergarten classes, graduate classes, and everything in between during her 41-year teaching career. Now, she is retiring after an 18-year tenure teaching geography and history at NCS, a time she considers the “highlight of [her] professional life.”
Since 2008, DiQuinzio has commuted two hours each way from Western Loudoun County to NCS via train, metro, and bus. “It never really occurred to me that NCS wasn’t worth the commute. This is a testament to the school,” she says. “Something has kept me here.”
DiQuinzio has taught most of the courses offered by the social sciences department, including Modern World History, World Geography, US History, AP Human Geography, and several electives. She served as department chair from 2007 to 2010 and chaired the NCS Professional Development Committee for seven years.
She is proud that the geography program continued to thrive after she replaced nationally recognized teacher Martha Sharma in 2004. “I came in, and I had no formal instruction in geography, but I had met Martha. I was inspired by her. We have kept the geography program going.” DiQuinzio is also proud of her work with Director of Community Service Nadirah Moreland and the Center for Ethical Leadership and Service. “We’ve taken geography out of the classroom and into the community in meaningful ways,” says DiQuinzio.
Reflecting on DiQuinzio’s contribution to NCS, Interim Head of Upper School Jessica Clark notes the educator’s innate curiosity. “She has changed the educational lives of hundreds of students by sharing her passion for learning about the world.”
DiQuinzio’s impact on her students is both powerful and long-lasting. “In the three years Dr. DiQuinzio taught me social sciences and advised me in homeroom, she completely changed my life,” says Caroline Morin ‘17. “Dr. DiQuinzio revolutionized how I conceptualized the world, taught me the importance of taking care of my mental health, and enabled me to become the well-rounded, powerful, confident, and intelligent young woman she knew I always was. Now as a senior in college,” says Morin, “I am beyond excited to begin my career in geospatial intelligence, a career path I never would have considered if it wasn’t for my two years of geography classes with Dr. DiQuinzio, which ignited my passion for geospatial analysis.”
Melisa “Mel” Krnjaic ‘07, another of DiQuinzio’s former students, taught 10th-grade Human Geography as an assistant teacher under DiQuinzio during the 2012-2013 school year. “I gained further appreciation for Mary's brilliance as an educator,” says Krnjaic. “I witnessed firsthand her thoughtful attention to detail, her creativity in lesson planning, and natural ability to create timely and topical projects for students. Mary's ebullient soul shines in all that she does, and her kind and selfless nature underpins her relationships with students and colleagues alike. I felt uplifted by her unfaltering belief in me as I navigated the insecurities of being a first-year teacher.”
DiQuinzio will deeply miss her NCS family. “This [has been] more than just a job. It’s been an essential part of my life for many years. NCS really is my community. People are there for each other. We laugh together. We whine together. We learn together. It’s our community.”
As DiQuinzio prepares for her new chapter, she has a vision that is helping to shape her plans. “For the last 13 years, I’ve had a very long commute. So, one of my goals is to get to know the community where I actually live,” she says. DiQuinzio looks forward to becoming a more familiar face in Loudoun County. “I might volunteer at a local public school,” she says. “My husband knows everyone. My goal is when we go somewhere locally that I know my neighbors as well.”
The NCS community wishes Dr. DiQuinzio all the best in her new endeavor. A brilliant teacher with wide-ranging expertise, DiQuinzio will be missed by her current and former students, colleagues, and friends.
Back
Since 2008, DiQuinzio has commuted two hours each way from Western Loudoun County to NCS via train, metro, and bus. “It never really occurred to me that NCS wasn’t worth the commute. This is a testament to the school,” she says. “Something has kept me here.”
DiQuinzio has taught most of the courses offered by the social sciences department, including Modern World History, World Geography, US History, AP Human Geography, and several electives. She served as department chair from 2007 to 2010 and chaired the NCS Professional Development Committee for seven years.
She is proud that the geography program continued to thrive after she replaced nationally recognized teacher Martha Sharma in 2004. “I came in, and I had no formal instruction in geography, but I had met Martha. I was inspired by her. We have kept the geography program going.” DiQuinzio is also proud of her work with Director of Community Service Nadirah Moreland and the Center for Ethical Leadership and Service. “We’ve taken geography out of the classroom and into the community in meaningful ways,” says DiQuinzio.
Reflecting on DiQuinzio’s contribution to NCS, Interim Head of Upper School Jessica Clark notes the educator’s innate curiosity. “She has changed the educational lives of hundreds of students by sharing her passion for learning about the world.”
DiQuinzio’s impact on her students is both powerful and long-lasting. “In the three years Dr. DiQuinzio taught me social sciences and advised me in homeroom, she completely changed my life,” says Caroline Morin ‘17. “Dr. DiQuinzio revolutionized how I conceptualized the world, taught me the importance of taking care of my mental health, and enabled me to become the well-rounded, powerful, confident, and intelligent young woman she knew I always was. Now as a senior in college,” says Morin, “I am beyond excited to begin my career in geospatial intelligence, a career path I never would have considered if it wasn’t for my two years of geography classes with Dr. DiQuinzio, which ignited my passion for geospatial analysis.”
Melisa “Mel” Krnjaic ‘07, another of DiQuinzio’s former students, taught 10th-grade Human Geography as an assistant teacher under DiQuinzio during the 2012-2013 school year. “I gained further appreciation for Mary's brilliance as an educator,” says Krnjaic. “I witnessed firsthand her thoughtful attention to detail, her creativity in lesson planning, and natural ability to create timely and topical projects for students. Mary's ebullient soul shines in all that she does, and her kind and selfless nature underpins her relationships with students and colleagues alike. I felt uplifted by her unfaltering belief in me as I navigated the insecurities of being a first-year teacher.”
DiQuinzio will deeply miss her NCS family. “This [has been] more than just a job. It’s been an essential part of my life for many years. NCS really is my community. People are there for each other. We laugh together. We whine together. We learn together. It’s our community.”
As DiQuinzio prepares for her new chapter, she has a vision that is helping to shape her plans. “For the last 13 years, I’ve had a very long commute. So, one of my goals is to get to know the community where I actually live,” she says. DiQuinzio looks forward to becoming a more familiar face in Loudoun County. “I might volunteer at a local public school,” she says. “My husband knows everyone. My goal is when we go somewhere locally that I know my neighbors as well.”
The NCS community wishes Dr. DiQuinzio all the best in her new endeavor. A brilliant teacher with wide-ranging expertise, DiQuinzio will be missed by her current and former students, colleagues, and friends.
