Scherrie Dalton is one of two Dean of Students here at West Po. She has taught at both middle and high school throughout her career. Her role, working alongside Brian Bishop, is to manage student attendance, enforce rules, resolve conflicts and advocate for student voices.
After high school, Ms. Dalton planned to major in Biology and become a pharmacist. Somewhere along the way, her path changed as she decided to major in Therapeutic Recreation, where she learned how to help and teach students with disabilities. A job in education was never something she considered before college, but she fell in love with the opportunity.
“My degree allows me to work with students in special education, and that’s how I got into becoming an educator,” explained Ms. Dalton.
Before finding West Po, she taught at two other schools within Fairfax County. At Key Middle School and Annandale High School, she worked as a special education math teacher. This is her first year at West Po, and her first year as a Dean of Students. Working with Brian Bishop has been a new but enjoyable experience for her.
“I have a lot of great memories from just starting here at West Po. The people that I work with in my office [Brian Bishop and Joan Cabezas] helped me settle in and learn the job,” Ms. Dalton said.
The primary focus of the Dean of Students is student attendance. The Reset Room, as well as WRAP are two new programs invented by Ms. Dalton and Mr. Bishop to fix the amount of chronically absent students. Along with attendance, they both help with any other assigned tasks that are student-related like mediating conflicts and enforcing disciplinary measures.
“The kids that I’ve met are great kids. I try to encourage them and let them know they have a bright future ahead of them,” said Ms. Dalton. “I enjoy building relationships with them, and I like the faculty here as well.”
