Ellis faculty to retire

With more than 100 years teaching at Ellis, Dr. Ellen Bedell, Ms. Melissa Dodge, Dr. Vicky Jordan, and Mrs. Marilyn Okonak will be retiring from Ellis at the end of the school year. These talented teachers have contributed greatly to the life of the School and made significant, lasting, contributions to each of their respective departments.
ELLEN BEDELL
After 25 years of inspiring legions of Ellis students to pursue anthropology, archaeology and other social sciences, Ellen Bedell has decided to retire at the end of the 2015-16 school year. Her vitality and youthful appearance would make one think that this is an early retirement, but loyal Ellis alumnae across decades speak fondly of their time in her classroom. Ellen joined the Ellis faculty in 1991 when Judy Callomon, then history chair, became the Upper School Director. Ellen has taught Origins of World Civilizations, Cultural Anthropology and AP European History, as well as numerous minicourses. Ellen served as Chair of the History Department from 1997 to 2014 and has held leadership roles in distinguished organizations in her disciplines.
 
Ellen’s adventurous nature, extensive travels, masterful story-telling, and depth of expertise quickly won the hearts and imaginations of her students, and her love of camels and the snakes in her freezer became the stuff of legends. We have Dr. Bedell to thank for many staples of the Upper School program – the simulated archaeological dig, Uluburun shipwreck project, minicourse trips to Crow Canyon and abroad, the annual potlach, and the Egyptian wall, pieces of which live in her classroom, to name but a few.
 
This has been a challenging year for Ellen, but in true fashion, she has demonstrated for all of us the meaning of strength, resilience, and enduring spirit. For years to come, Ellis will continue to peel away the layers and unearth Ellen’s lasting contribution to the entire Ellisian community. We wish her happy travels and great adventures to come.

 
MELISSA DODGE
After 27½ years of devotion to Ellis students, (the half year was to cover Edie Hazlett’s maternity leave when she had her first daughter Laura), Melissa Dodge has decided to retire from teaching to pursue other interests. A talented teacher of both English and French, Melissa has worn many hats at Ellis and how lucky for us that she wore them so well. In addition to the many courses that she taught over time, including French levels 1-3, Melissa has been a 9th grade advisor and has served as Ellis’ diversity coordinator, where she impressively combined her love of teaching with her passion for issues of social justice. Her work with grade 9 students in the Western Literature course launched a celebrated writing process that laid the foundation for program excellence in critical reading and writing in the Ellis Upper School.
 
Melissa’s international upbringing equipped her to recognize the importance of inclusion and equity in all that she does. She expertly guided student diversity leaders through successful Culture Jam conferences, and organized teacher discussions and workshops that set the stage for our ongoing diversity work, encouraging frank and open dialogue of respect and mutual understanding.  
 
Melissa’s commitment to community activism gave her a wealth of resources to draw upon in bringing to Ellis a wonderful array of service projects and co-curricular opportunities. For example, her work with Books on Tape and other causes near and dear to her heart, benefitted not only those who were served by those programs, but also the students and faculty whose service Melissa encouraged.
 
Many hats and large shoes to fill…we thank Melissa for her excellence as teacher, advisor, diversity coordinator and parent of Sarah Rutherford, class of 2008.  Her contributions to Ellis will endure for many years to come.
 
 
VICKY JORDAN
At the completion of her 18th year as a devoted member of the Ellis World Languages Department, Vicky (“Dr. J”) has decided to retire in order to pursue her many interests, including travel, reading, writing, research, swimming, cooking, on-line teaching, and the list could go on and on! She may have to plan now for retirement from retirement!
 
From the moment she arrived at Ellis in 1998 from a large school in Atlanta, Georgia, Vicky built our strong Middle and Upper School Latin program with her boundless passion for the subject and excellence in teaching. She has inspired countless Latin scholars over the years with her disciplined approach to Latin language study and her creative methods that bring to life a supposed "dead" language. In Vicky's classroom, Latin is alive and well, and students better buckle their seat belts as they prepare to ride with Caesar, conquer Carthage, build an aqueduct, and blush with Catullus - and that's on Wednesday!  
 
In retirement, Vicky will enjoy more frequent visits with her wonderful daughter (and Ellis graduate) Diana, and time with her husband Tom. There will likely be more trips to Italy in her future to use her fluency in Latin and Italian (she also speaks French, of course).
 
 
MARILYN OKONAK
Thirty years of teaching English in the Ellis Middle School? Marilyn (“Mrs. O”) is a superhero! Marilyn has taught English with distinction in both the Middle and Upper Schools during her three decades at Ellis, and has added history to her repertoire in recent years, but it is 6th Grade English for which she is best known - and loved. She has expertly guided thousands of young readers and writers of Ellis with her knowledge of and expertise in, literary analysis, her patience for their various rates of development, her love of teaching, and her ever-present sense of humor and distinctive laugh. As Dean of the 6th Grade, Marilyn has used her depth of understanding of Middle School girls and their development to great effect, and she has mentored colleagues with the self-same care, kindness, and wisdom over time.
 
Among Marilyn's many Ellis students were her wonderful daughters Thea and Whitney, both Ellis graduates. How lucky we are to now have Whitney among those fortunate colleagues that Marilyn has known in her thirty years at Ellis. In her retirement, Marilyn looks forward to enjoying her three children (including Trevor) and soon-to-be four grandchildren who will keep her busy, and to take the time to enjoy a well-deserved change of pace for her many other interests and talents - including trips to Disney World!
 
Congratulations and Best Wishes to these wonderful Ellis educators!
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