W E S T V I E W
S C H O O L
Westview Waves Goodbye to
Ms. Donna
by: Penelope Khuri
P A G E - 0 6
|
W I L D C A T
C H R O N I C L E
T H E
Ms. Donna Retires In a year of tremendous change, perhaps The Westview School’s most significant one occurred when Head of School, Donna Marshall, retired at the end of the 2019-2020 school year. On May 18, 2020, well into the COVID-19 quarantine, The Westview School honored Donna with a surprise car parade of students and teachers. What began as a simple “end-of-year belongings pick up” morphed into a surprise party for Ms. Donna. Back-to-back parades at the 1900 and 1830 buildings allowed each family an opportunity to show their love and appreciation for Ms. Donna. The students could also cross the street to see the cars lined up with teachers and say good-bye for the summer. Following the family car parade, Donna crossed the street herself to see all the teachers, who also wished her a fond farewell. Donna Marshall came to Westview after hearing about the school from another mother. In 1991, she met Westview founder, Jane Stewart, who offered to let Donna’s son Jacob attend for free if Donna would teach. This was a typical start for
most teachers in Westview’s early days. Jacob stayed less than a year before moving on to kindergarten, but Donna remained. Oralia Burks, teacher assistant, and a friend worked as Donna’s teaching assistant for close to eight years. “[Donna] was a great teacher. I had no teaching experience, but she taught me so much. She didn’t have to spell everything out; we just “got each
