By Nami Stager
After ten incredible years in the Wellington Lower School Science Lab, I find myself reflecting with a full heart and deep gratitude. As I follow my dreams toward new opportunities to teach in Savannah, Georgia, this doesn’t feel like a sad ending—it feels joyful. It feels like a celebration of a decade spent exploring, questioning, experimenting, and discovering together.
Teaching science was never just about content standards or lab reports. It was about curiosity. It was about the spark in a student’s eyes when something finally clicked, the excitement when an experiment worked, or didn’t, and taught us something anyway, and the collective “wow” moments that reminded us why learning matters. Every day in the Lower School Lab was an invitation to wonder.
Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of watching students grow—not just academically, but as critical thinkers, problem-solvers, and thoughtful learners. We asked big questions. Tested big ideas. Learned how to fail, take risks, and try again. I hoped to show my students that science isn’t about having all the right answers; it’s about learning how to ask better questions and having the confidence to seek those answers.
Some of my favorite memories come from the quietest hikes, messiest labs, the loudest debates, and the moments when the lesson plan took a back seat to genuine curiosity. Together, we connected science to the real world, to everyday life, and to futures students were only beginning to imagine. If I helped students see themselves as capable problem-solvers and lifelong learners, then I consider that a success.
What I will carry with me most, though, are the people. The students who challenged, surprised, and taught me just as much as I taught them—perhaps even more. The colleagues who said, “Yes, let’s do it!” and embraced teamwork with enthusiasm. The administrators who said, “Go for it!” The best part- the conversations, the laughter, the perseverance, and the pride of succeeding—and even failing—while bravely trying new things.
A decade in education leaves a mark, and I know these experiences will stay with me always—like a jaguar footprint on my heart.
As I step into my next chapter, I do so with appreciation and joy. Thank you to every student who showed up curiously, every class that embraced discovery, every colleague who stood beside me, every family that supported and partnered with me, and every moment that made these ten years unforgettable.
This has truly been a decade of discovery.
Go Jags—I will miss you, no matter where I roam.
Dream Big. Work Hard.
Mrs. Nami Stager