Junior and senior 504 tutor Lynn Dorsey is retiring after eight years of supporting and accommodating students throughout their academic careers. 

Dorsey’s involvement at Algonquin began long before she started working as a tutor, as her three kids graduated in the classes of 2007, 2009 and 2014. Dorsey worked as an engineer prior to her job at ARHS.

“I went back to school [for teaching] after the kids were back in school,” Dorsey said. “I have a license to teach math and I’ve done a lot of tutoring on the side as well.”

According to math teacher Eileen Cronin, Dorsey’s classroom has been a valuable resource for students. 

“We often use her for a space for students to go to if they need a quiet space,” Cronin said. “Her room is always available to us and she’s always very welcoming to the kids. If we ask her, ‘Can Fred take this quiz in your class?’ she’s always very accommodating and very welcoming.”

Dorsey not only enjoys working with students, but she also appreciates the overall staff dynamic. 

“I like the kids,” Dorsey said. “I like the staff and the camaraderie among the teachers.”

Math teacher Mary Rose Steele admires the connections Dorsey fosters with her students.

“She has a really nice calming and caring presence, with the environment of her classroom and how she works with students,” Steele said. “I think she’s really detail oriented and she stays in touch with all the students’ teachers and helps the kids; she really guides them to stay on top of their work.”

In creating bonds with students, Dorsey has been flexible, even changing her lunch schedule to help other teachers and students.

“She has even recently rescheduled her lunch,” Cronin said. “I’ve had kids who have had to take a quiz, but had third lunch. She’s actually skipped her lunch so that her lunch syncs with the kids that have to take quizzes.”

In retirement, Dorsey hopes to focus on gardening, one of her favorite hobbies, as well as take care of her parents. 

“I love to garden, and we don’t get out until the end of June; July and August tend to be very hot,” Dorsey said. “Coming back in the fall, again, you don’t have that fall and spring that I really enjoy [for gardening]. But really the big thing for me in retirement is that I’ll be taking care of aging parents. My parents are 93, so I’ll be able to help out more there.”

Dorsey’s warm personality and her classroom’s bright atmosphere will be missed by her colleagues. 

“I’m going to miss all of our talks about gardening because she and I talk the most about all of our flowers,” Steele said. “I’m really going to miss working with her as a colleague because I do think that she is one of the best special ed supports that we have here in the school. I can’t believe she’s not going to be my [classroom] neighbor.”