TC High principal (and his dog) to retire after 24 years

May 18—TRAVERSE CITY — For the last 24 years, Lance Morgan has made it his mission to serve the students and staff of Traverse City High School.

But his time as principal of the school is coming to an end. Morgan has decided to retire at the end of this academic year.

"I just felt like it was time to pursue something else," Morgan said, "The plan is to take some time off to figure out what the next step is going to be."

Morgan, who worked previously as a foster care worker and counselor, made the transition into education administration in the late '90s.

"Where I was working, I realized I was not getting as much contact with the kids as I wanted," said Morgan, "and I decided that the only way to do that was to get into education."

Whatever that next step is, he said he's sure it'll still be connected to serving kids.

"I've been doing it for 35 years total now, and I don't think I can get that out of my blood," he said. "I hope that, wherever I go next, it adds value to the community."

Jennifer Ciolek will be taking over for Morgan as principal. After working at TCHS with Morgan for 20 years, she said she feels "fully supported" by the staff.

"It's exciting to carry on what Lance has established — making sure the kids are taken care of, providing opportunities for them to be successful and supporting the staff," said Ciolek, who has a passion for alternative education.

"To have the chance to lead, and be a part of these kids' success is the best opportunity. Trying to take over for Lance is big shoes to fill. I hope to do a good job with that," Ciolek said.

Also retiring with Morgan is Maverick, his 7-year-old black Labrador Retriever who has been serving as the school's unofficial mascot for the last five years. He's also been a support dog for students when needed.

"He came to the school right after spring break that year, and he's been here ever since," Morgan said.

Ciolek said that, even though Maverick is a huge support for students, the staff benefits from his presence and companionship just the same. "He'll be missed. Staff would go up into the office when they were having a bad day and just sit with him, too ... right along with the kids."

Julie VanPelt, an administrative assistant who has been with the school for 22 years, said Maverick has a sense of when students need of his support.

"If a student is in distress ... he just knows," she said. "He'll walk right over there and comfort them."

Morgan said that he's certain Maverick will be making occasional visits in the future.

As he looks forward to retirement, Morgan said what he'll miss most is seeing students every day. "I love coming to work. I'm going to miss the daily interaction with the kids. There's certainly more challenging days than others, but the idea of seeing the kids each day is what I'll miss most."

Brianna, a senior at the high school, said she was most grateful for Morgan's ability to be supportive and empathetic to students.

"He cares about each student individually," she said. "He cares about your past, how you can change, and helps you go over the things that you can fix. He gives you the time you need."

When asked what she'll miss the most about working with Morgan, Van Pelt shed a few tears.

"I'm going to start crying," she said. "He's just been more than my boss, he's been such an amazing friend. I've had some major career challenges, he's always been there for me.

"I'm in awe watching him everyday, how he works with those kids," Van Pelt said, speaking on his ability to de-escalate tough situations, "They could be cursing, and he just listens to them, he never raises his voice. He asks the right questions."

Jill Cheever, an administrative assistant at the school, said the staff and students at TCHS have become family.

"When it comes to the kids, he has a way about him that allows the kids to relate to him. They respect him, but at the same time they feel comfortable around him. They'll walk right into that office, sit down and tell him everything that's on their mind."

Josh Veith, social studies teacher at TCHS, said Morgan not only did good things for students, but for teachers as well.

"I think a lot of people will talk about his impact on students, but from my focus, Lance has been a great principal for staff development. As a teacher, I started off as a raw, enthusiastic rookie, making all kinds of mistakes, having emotional moments, and not a lot of common sense. Lance, mostly gently, and professionally, has made me a better teacher these last 18 years."

"I'm definitely going to miss Maverick, too," Veith added. "He took a [dump] in my classroom when I first met him, but I appreciate what the students get from having him here."

Graduation for Traverse City High School is May 31 at Lars Hockstad Auditorium. It'll be Morgan's last graduation as principal. That day also is his "most favorite day of the year," he said.

"The most rewarding thing is seeing a kid who comes to us as a sophomore, graduates as a senior and can look back and see huge changes, and knowing they're leaving us as a better person, and going to be an asset to our community," Morgan said. "It's a great feeling."

Since the start of Traverse City High School, 957 students have participated in the graduation ceremony, he said. "When you start to think about how that affects multiple people — it's amazing to think that's almost 1,000 families that we've been able to give a head start on life. I'm proud of this place.

"The last 24 years, I would say the mission, in terms of finding a way to help kids, has always been the same."