Ms. Chen, a former counselor at Clark Lane Middle School, retired on December 22, 2023.
Ms. Chen has been a long-term member in our Waterford Community for about 29 years and has demonstrated an absolute commitment to her students over the years.
Being raised in Vietnam, it was her childhood dream to become a Bus Contactor. A Bus Contactor is someone who assists the bus driver, and ensures that everyone gets on and off the bus safely, while all fares are collected.
As a child who had to take two buses to get to school, she was often pushed around. The bus contactor protected her from the older students.
Overall, Ms. Chen has come a long way not only in her life but as a counselor at Waterford.
Ms. Chen describes herself as a “pessimist” and she has to “turn every rock” before she becomes optimistic.
She mentions she became a counselor “by luck” and initially went to school to study law.
She has been a counselor at various different schools, including an elementary school in Vietnam for nearly 5 years, and she later came back to the US to teach in Hartford.
Ms. Chen dedicated her career to helping others from the very beginning, whether they were attending Law School or counseling students at public schools.
She prides herself on always planning ahead of time, and examining every option before picking a course of action.
Although she has mixed feelings about her retirement, she says it was a decision she came up with after much deliberation. In regards to her retirement she states, “Even if you have a plan… you can change your course of action.”
Many students and teachers at Waterford High School have fond memories of Ms. Chen and her time here.
Ms. Tessier adds, “Ms. Chen is such a fast-paced, hardworking woman that I would occasionally have to tease her and tell her to stop running in the halls, but she was really running!”
Mr. Sachs, who has been the principal at CLMS for many years says, “She knows every student by sight and name and all their schedules and needs!”
“She was able to analyze data and information to help the school improve in so many ways such as academic performance,” says Ms. Tessier.
Overall, Ms. Chen will be dearly missed by all of her students and colleagues, and her impact on both Waterford High School and Clark Lane Middle School will last for many years to come. She has helped hundreds of students find success in both middle school, high school, and in post-secondary education. Ms. Chen will be missed and we wish her a happy retirement!
