“I feel like I’m part of a family. I truly believe once a Cougar, always a Cougar.” Assistant Principal Ms. Suess is saying her goodbyes to a place she considers a second home.

Ms. Suess has been at Sahuaro for 3 years, and during her time here has worked in numerous different positions. As an assistant principal, her job has consisted of overseeing the numerous clubs and activities at Sahuaro. “This year and last year I have been overlooking activities and athletics…The first year that I started I was over-looking operations.” Before she was an administrator, Ms. Suess worked with our Exceptional Education Department. “…I was an Exceptional Ed Department chair and then I left to go do some things to get involved in administration…” Although Sahuaro is where she feels at home, Ms. Suess took an opportunity at Palo Verde Magnet School to help boost her administrative career. “I was the Dean of Students at Palo Verde and then went on to be an Assistant Principal at Secrist Middle School.” Although she was grateful to receive opportunities to further her career, Ms. Suess missed the place that she could call home. “…the entire time that I was gone, I always felt like I should come back to Sahuaro…”

Ms. Suess has earned an amazing opportunity that is not worth passing up – she accepted a new position as the principal of Marshall Elementary School in the fall. “I love Sahuaro and this is the only circumstance that I would leave. I attended Marshall Elementary and have a love for the school, and this was an opportunity that I could not pass up.” When speaking with Ms. Suess about this new endeavor, she expressed how happy she was, but at the same time, will miss Sahuaro life. “I would never leave Sahuaro except for this one opportunity…Although I am leaving Sahuaro to be a Principal at Marshall Elementary School, I will always have a piece of Sahuaro with me.”

Ms. Suess has created countless memories during her time here, but what memory has stuck out to her the most? “There was a student that graduated last year that had a very difficult time, got into trouble here and there, struggled with academics and classes, but she would often come to my office and take breaks and get back on track. I really built a strong relationship with her and to watch her graduate last year was very meaningful to me.”

When looking into the life of Emily rather than Ms. Suess, you will quickly learn that she is one to always be on her feet. “I’m a mom. I am a very proud mom of 2 children, an 8-year-old and a 9, soon-to-be-10-year-old. We like to spend a lot of time together doing things like seeing movies, kayaking and paddleboarding, and spending time outside. My son is very athletic and into baseball and so attending all of his games are exciting. My daughter is a violinist and so attending her performances is very important to me. So, the family unit is what I do when I am not at Sahuaro.”

Throughout her time here, Ms. Suess has been able to create bonds with her peers and build friendships that will last a lifetime. Assistant Principal Mr. Lundstrom expressed how proud he is of Ms. Suess. “Working with Ms. Suess has been a real opportunity to watch someone grow as a professional…I’ve seen her here as a Department Chair for Special Education, I watched her as she was a Dean over at Palo Verde, and seen her shift over to an Assistant Principal over at Secrist, and we were very excited to have her back here. The growth and development of her will have her ready in her next phase…she’s awesome and I know she’s going to do real well.”

Ms. Suess is ready for this next chapter in life but will miss her Sahuaro family. “I’m going to miss this Cougar family. I truly believe in once a Cougar, always a Cougar. I want students to remember to try hard and do their best.”

We wish you luck Ms. Suess – you are going to do great things and make the most of this new opportunity!