Recently, Deerprints had the chance to sit down with some of the newest additions to the school’s faculty to help fellow students give a heartfelt warrior welcome to our new teachers. This year, Deerfield High School is excited to bring a new wealth of educational experience to our community. From X-Hall to E-Hall, these new educators all share a common passion for helping their students grow and thrive.
Clara Finley
Among the new faces at Deerfield this year is Ms. Finley, who joins the English Department with a passion for inspiring her students. She teaches English I for freshmen and Science Fiction for seniors, blending classic literature with imaginative worlds.
Ms. Finley is dedicated to helping students discover their own passions, both in and out of the classroom. She takes great joy in learning about their interests and activities beyond school, fostering meaningful connections.
Nick Goergen
Mr. Goergen is a new faculty member in the science department. Like the other new faculty members, he brings a wealth of experience to his role. Spending 13 years in the education field has allowed Goergen to teach students important skills. Goergen states, “The empowerment that students gain from persevering through a challenging topic and finally connecting the pieces is, and always has been, a very rewarding piece of education for me!
Everyone has been so friendly and helpful!” We are so glad to have Mr. Goergun join the Deerfield community.
Jennifer Grutza
Physics teacher Ms. Grutza brings 20 years of experience in teaching science. She loves providing her students with hands-on experiments in order to explore scientific concepts in real life.
Her favorite part about Deerfield so far has been getting to know her new students and colleagues. She told Deerprints, “Everyone is so friendly at Deerfield!” She is looking forward to getting to know her students better as the year goes on so she can challenge each of them to reach their highest potential.
Welcome to Deerfield Ms. Grutza!
Danielle Ossman
Ms. Ossman is a new department chair to Deerfield, but not to the education field. Entering her 18th year in education, Ossman has been a Dean, a Spanish teacher, and now is the World Language and ELL Department Chair.
Ossman, along with other freshman faculty members, has mentioned her love for the welcoming community within Deerfield High School. She states, “Everyone has genuinely been so kind and welcoming! I did the Amazing Race with staff last week and it was a blast, but truly, the best part has been my class and my students. I missed having a class the past three years and I have loved seeing my students every day.” As the new language chair, Ossman is particularly excited to spend time in the classrooms and see what students are capable of.
Welcome to Warrior Nation Ms. Ossman!
Markiese Russell
The next staff member we are excited to welcome to Deerfield is Mr. Russell. Similar to Ms. Ossman, Russell has been in education for quite some time. Russell said that spending 10 years in the field has shown him the enjoyment of “making a difference in the lives of others.”
Currently serving as the Fine and Applied Arts Department Chair, Mr. Russell is also a teacher of Freshman Advisory. He loves the community within the school and is excited to become a part of the Warrior family.
Welcome, Mr. Russell to DHS!
All images courtesy of Stuart-Rodgers Photography
