> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Principal bids farewell to St. Monica after 23 years - URL: https://www.smdp.com/principal-bids-farewell-to-st-monica-after-23-years/ - Published: 2008-06-16T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-24T19:54:47.000Z - Author: Melody Hanatani - Tags: Education, Santa Monica, #archive-import *St. Monica flourished during Morris’ tenure* WILMONT Every morning for the past 23 years, Joan Morris has started her day promptly at 4 a.m., up before the earliest of early risers, out on the road at a time when the truck drivers outnumber the cars, all to beat Los Angeles traffic to reach her desk at St. Monica Elementary at a reasonable hour. That routine will soon end as Morris at the end of June will retire from her more than two-decade administrative career at the Catholic elementary school in Santa Monica. “As I’ve gotten older, (the hours) are more of a struggle,” Morris, 64, said. “I go to bed early at 8:30 p.m., sometimes get home around 4:30 p.m.” “A lot of the time I’m gone 12 hours from where I live,” the long-time San Pedro resident said. “I still love (teaching), but it’s just harder to do.” Morris, a native San Franciscan, was hired as the principal by former pastor, Monsignor Anthony Duval, in 1985, beginning her term that summer. She’s been a popular figure on the small 278-student campus that was founded in 1930 by the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, the principal often out in the playground during recess, able to immediately call students by their first names. “The word principal means master teacher and there’s no question that Joan was the master teacher all these 23 years at St. Monica Elementary,” Monsignor Lloyd Torgerson said. “She knew every kid by name, she was involved in all the lives of the family of that community and she was an extraordinary woman of integrity.” It was in the convent when Morris was given the option of either becoming a teacher or a nurse. Often fainting at a sight of blood, Morris opted for a career in education. “I said ‘I guess I’ll be a teacher,’” Morris said. “Here we are 41 years later.” Her teaching career included a stint as principal of Our Lady of Victory in Compton during the 1970s, teaching for the first six years at the school and serving as the head administrator the final two. She eventually took a leave from education to begin working on a child nutritional program that was affiliated with Our Lady of Victory, working with other principals who served in low-income area schools. The program started with 18 schools and by the end of Morris’ seven-year run as the coordinator, more than 80 schools had come on board. Feeling the teaching itch, Morris decided to re-enter the educational field when she was contacted by Duval, though she originally turned the offer down because of the long commute from her home in San Pedro. “I got to thinking that weekend and I live in San Pedro, surrounded by three bodies of water and realized I will have to travel,” she said. “I called him back and said I will meet with you, came out and liked him and found out he was a former educator.” That attribute about Duval seemed to be the selling point. “A lot of pastors don’t understand schools and he did because he had been an assistant at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana,” she said. Morris took the job and never looked back. The school is said to have remained strong during Morris’ 23 years, a time when teacher retention has been high with many educators staying for more than 15 years. The school has also earned a number of accolades, including the “Spotlight School Award” by KNBC. The school has also earned full six-year, no restriction accreditations from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges four times since Morris’ arrival. Parents have also sung her praises. “We’ve been blessed by her guidance,” Valerie Shore, the president of the Parent Teacher Council at St. Monica Elementary, said. “She’s really embraced the parent body and I felt like there’s been a collaboration to work with her.” St. Monica is a kindergarten through eighth grade institution with about 31-32 students per grade level. About 80 percent of the students reside in the Westside, the remainder attending the school because their parents work in Santa Monica. Approximately 94 percent end up moving on to a Catholic high school, roughly 58 percent of which go on to St. Monica High School. While the majority of the students are Catholic, there are kids from other faiths, making up roughly 10 percent of the population. “We have great diversity among our students, not only ethnically, but cultural, socio-economically and with children of other faiths,” Morris said. “It prepares them for life, it’s a microcosm of the world.” Morris said she doesn’t have any plans to return to teaching and will take some time to gather her thoughts to plan her next step. One thing for certain is she wants to remain close to home, which reminds her of San Francisco, the one reason why she chose San Pedro. “I’m going to take some time, travel over the summer and unwind myself and figure out what’s next,” she said. “I’m not going to stay home and clean out the closet all day.” Morris will be replaced by Sharon Dandorf, currently the principal at Daniel Murphy High School, a Catholic all-boys school in Los Angeles that will be closed at the end of the academic year. Dandorf has already attended several school functions to familiarize herself with St. Monica, including attending the eighth grade graduation last week. “I believe the school will continue to grow and prosper and she can take it to a new level,” Morris said. *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 16, 2008.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/061608.pdf?ref=smdp.com)