The 2024 Edward B. Blakely Distinguished Faculty & Staff Award was presented to Upper School English teacher Susan Doran during the 23rd annual State of the School on Oct. 30.
The Edward B. Blakely Distinguished Faculty & Staff Award is named after the school’s founder and presented annually to a St. Luke’s faculty or staff member who exemplifies the school’s founding values of excellence and character.
Head of School Mary Carter shared the following about Doran during the award presentation:
“Susan joined SLS in 1998 and immediately had an impact. A champion of all things arts and humanities, her effect has been felt in many places: as a beloved English teacher, a key member of our afterschool theater program, a member of the team that supports seniors writing their college essays, the creator of our first true interdisciplinary course in the humanities, the co-founder of the Literary Scholars program, and the co-leader of the Parents’ Association Book Chat with Hunter Martin.”
Doran has taught virtually every course in the English department, but her love for British Literature is evident with the 25-year-running senior Shakespeare elective. As part of the course, Doran invites students to her home for Sonnets and Sweets, where each student recites a sonnet and is served homemade desserts.
As part of the award presentation and to honor Doran’s Sonnets & Sweets legacy, Laurel Aronion ‘25, a St. Luke’s Literary Scholar and award-winning poetry performer, read a sonnet dedicated to Ms. Doran.
It isn’t just current students who adore her; alums and faculty from the early 2000s to recent graduates shared their adoration in a tribute video.
The recognition touched Doran. She shared this message for families: “Teaching literature to your children has been–and continues to be–the privilege of my life.”
