I feel so blessed to be a part of the Hortonville Area School District and I look forward to serving you as Hortonville Middle School’s principal. It is hard to believe, but I am heading into my 22nd year as an educator. I started my career in education in Shawano, Wisconsin as a third grade teacher where I worked with Lori Smits, your Pupil Services Director~ small world! After four years and traveling back and forth from Shawano to De Pere, I became a 3/4 multi-age teacher at Dickinson Elementary for the Unified School District of De Pere for 6 years and my last year, I was a fourth grade teacher. After eleven years as a teacher, I embarked on a journey as an assistant principal in Menasha, Wisconsin at Maplewood Middle School where I learned a great deal for four years. From there, I was given the wonderful opportunity to serve and lead Sabish Middle School in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin where I have served as principal for the past six years.
It has been a wonderful learning journey where I have had the opportunity to learn and grow in four different districts. With this perspective, I have been able to learn from a variety of learning leaders and be a part of unique experiences: being a part of professional learning communities, embarking on standards based learning within the elementary and middle school setting, learning and leading restorative practices, engaging in cultural understanding and equity practices, while always knowing that building strong relationships with kids is paramount to the success of our schools. However, I am so excited to be a part of the Hortonville School District and so eager to learn and grow from all of you!
I am humbled by the kindness, the genuine thoughtfulness and the camaraderie of the Hortonville Area School District and the families that embody and make-up this school district. I look forward to working with your child in helping these “middle years” be the very best they can be in helping them to understand their brain and how it is changing along with their bodies. Navigating the emotional rollercoaster of being a “middle schooler” can sometimes be alarming and frustrating as a parent because it shows us a “new” side of our child. I encourage you to embrace the silly, the new-found emotions and know that their brains really are reverting back to the reasoning skills of a kindergarten/first grade child. Patience, understanding and kindness is what they need the most, especially as they begin to “push” and “pull” away. They need you more now than ever! I look forward to partnering with you so that we can create the very best middle school experience possible for your child.
I am so excited to begin a new school year and look forward to meeting you, your child and building a partnership for your child’s success in school!
Partners in education,
Torrie Rochon
E-mail
Phone: 920-779-7922
