This year, we have the privilege of welcoming Ms. Kratz and Ms. Morris to HMSA. Ms. Kratz has taken over for Ms. Reese as the Special Projects teacher, and Ms. Morris has done the same for Ms. Hall as an English teacher. Although we are happy to have new staff members, we would like to recognize Ms. Hall and Ms. Reese for greatly influencing HMSA through their work in ASB, journalism, and the English department.  

After Ms. Reese retired last year and move back home to Saudi Arabia, Ms. Kratz became the new HMSA special projects coordinator. She attended the University of Southern California for her undergraduate degree and teaching credential. She worked at Bud Carson Middle School for seventeen years, specializing as a P.E. teacher for the last nine years. Even though she “loved being a PE teacher, working with students, and doing extracurricular activities at Bud Carson M.S. (coaching cross country, volleyball, and working with ASB),” she wanted to challenge herself by working at HMSA.

So far, Ms. Kratz loves working at HMSA. She believes “the students are… responsible, hard workers [and] the staff, teachers, and administrators are dedicated, professional, and supportive.” She also enjoys the variety her position has to offer. She collaborates with students and parents to organize events. She also manages textbooks and helps recruit the future freshmen.

Ms. Kratz also has an adventurous life outside of her professional career. She loves to go on adventures, especially ones involving hiking, bicycling, gardening, and cooking. She has “been rock climbing over the years and parachuted out of a plane once. [She hopes to] travel to places like Australia, Morocco, India, Nepal and Scandinavia.”

However, Ms. Kratz wasn’t the only addition to the staff. After teaching English III for five years at HMSA, Ms. Hall left her position last year to teach at Travis Ranch Middle School where she is closer to her home. She will also be getting married this fall. As a result, Ms. Enger took over English III, while Ms. Morris began teaching English II. Ms. Morris attended the University of Washington to earn her degrees and this is her ninth year teaching in total. She previously worked as an eighth grade language arts and social studies teacher at Prairie Vista Middle School. When asked about her expectations of HMSA, she laughingly replied, “I knew it was very rigorous!” She also stated that the change from middle to high school students was very different: “High school students are much more mature; they have a vision for where they want to go. Instead of me having to push the students, I just have to expose the students to the work.”

When she isn’t teaching, Ms. Morris loves listening to Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Bob Marley, or what she refers to as “hippie” music. Lastly, she enjoys reading and writing in her many personal journals, which she had since the age of nine.

Thanks to the warm welcome from the entire HMSA staff and students, Ms. Kratz and Ms. Morris truly feel a part of the HMSA family.