Michelle Thompson
Staff Writer

Merri Brown, teacher of Child Development II and the preschool at Westford Academy is retiring at the end of this school year. The preschool teacher has been working at WA for fifteen years, and has taught not only the preschoolers but also the high school students enrolled in Child Development II and in earlier years, those students in Child Development I. She has created a close bond with the high school students, who in essence, she teaches to take over her preschool class.

Merri Brown, Child Development II and Preschool teacher will be retiring at the end of this school year.

Brown first came to Westford Academy when the job, previously held by Mr. Haight’s wife, opened up. She had worked as a preschool teacher at Roudenbush before coming to WA. She thought that working at Westford Academy as a Child Development teacher and working with the preschoolers would be a great opportunity because she could work with both the preschoolers and the high school students.

“It’s always very exciting, not only to watch the preschool kids grow, but also to see the high school kids grow and get comfortable in the classroom,” said Brown.

Working at WA has also helped Brown with becoming closer to the whole community. Brown has had students that have gone through her preschool class and then gone through the Westford school system and visited her as students who attend WA. She has had an impact on the whole community by teaching not only the preschool children, but also the high school kids.

“Meeting the families has also been really special,” said Brown.

Brown has created a wonderful preschool experience for her students that choose to participate in the WA preschool. They learn a lot, not only from Brown but also from the students that work with them everyday. Coming to the preschool at WA is different from a regular preschool, but the students benefit a lot.

“I’m very proud of the preschool and the level of education that we are able to provide them with,” said Brown.

The Child Development II class will be eliminated from the course selections next year and the preschool will no longer be running. Many students have really enjoyed taking the class and working with the little kids, but this will be the last year anyone can take it.

“It is going to be a loss for the community; the preschoolers are able to learn from the high school students, but the high school students also really learn a lot from the preschoolers, ” said Brown.

One of Brown’s favorite times working at WA was in her first year here. Her son was a senior at the time and she was able to enter into his environment and see him in school. She remembers having her son tell her about the school and help her get used to the way things are done at Westford Academy and him getting her used to the high school’s way of doing things.

Another favorite part of the job working in the preschool has been working with the WA students. Brown would probably not have gotten to experience working with both age groups in a different program, so the Westford Academy preschool is truly unique.

“I’ll mostly miss the involvement with the high school students,” said Brown.