An avid runner, type A personality, and almost-millionaire, Mrs. Marcuson is not your typical principal. To some, she may just be the mysterious, witty voice behind the afternoon announcements, but we sat down with her to really get to know her.

Harriton Banner: What responsibilities are included in your job?

Mrs. Marcuson: My job includes handling issues with students with the last names of A-L, grades 10-12, and that could be anything from discipline to having a question about the prom or having a question about something that might be on their schedule or just having a question about RAM, or just anything. So I’m here to help all kids.  We do so many different things. I mean, you’re gonna hear a variety of answers from Mr. Matilla, Ms. Matsko, [and] Mr. Eveslage, but there are things that we do that aren’t in our job descriptions. For example, Mrs. Nedzwecky always has me proofread the yearbook since I’m a former English teacher. I help out with Mr. Harriton by looking at some of the acts and making sure that they’re okay. So we just do things that may not be listed in our job responsibilities but are a part of our day-to-day jobs.

HB: You mentioned you were an English teacher. Care to elaborate?

MM: I loved, loved, loved teaching. I taught eight years total. Four of them were at Upper Darby High School and I really enjoyed that experience. It was probably my favorite experience. I love high school kids. My favorite course that I taught was a junior and senior course called Humanities, which includes art, music, literature, and philosophy, and I did that for a few years. It was a fabulous course. And I decided that I really had more to offer my fellow teachers and I really wanted to help some of the newer teachers become better teachers so I became an administrator. So I became an administrator and I’ve been at Harriton now for 13 years and I’ve always evaluated the English department, which is pretty nice because that way when I’m in the classroom … for example, recently the kids in the junior English classes have been reading Gatsby … You know if a kid had a question, instead of waiting for the teacher, I feel, you know, comfortable and happy to help and I think the kids kinda liked it, you know, “Oh, [Ms. Marcuson], you read Gatsby?” “Yes, I did.”

HB: What qualities do you have that make you a good principal?

MM: Ooohhh, the hard-hitting questions. Um, I think that I have become more flexible; I think that being flexible is a very important part. You know, I’m a big believer in rules, which I think anybody would know but I think it’s important still to have some flexibility. I think that savvy is important because I think that sometimes kids are sneaky so it’s important to be on top of your game that way. Having a sense of humor is very important. I think that another one of my qualities is that – I don’t know how to put this succinctly – but that I really enjoy knowing the kids, really knowing them, and not just “Hey, kid,” but I like to believe that I know the kids and I know who they are, what they’re about, and I think that personal connection makes a difference in my ability to do my job.

HB: How are you working to improve the school?

MM: Well, personally, I’m working to constantly involve myself and reflect on how I approach situations and how I handle things, whether it be an individual situation that has caused me to pause and say “Wow, I’m not really pleased with the way I approached that, I was little close-minded and probably needed to reconsider how I approach that kind of situation going forward”. That’s certainly something I work on day-to-day, as far as improving Harriton: always to be open to the concerns of students.

HB: What was your high school experience like?

MM: Well, I don’t know if you’ll be interviewing Mr. Ferguson but we went to high school together… Umm, my high school experience, I was a total…dork, that’s not a good word, so don’t use that word, but my high school experience kind of, I think, colored where I’m approaching my job from, because I was not popular in high school. I had a core group of friends, in all AP classes, I’m not trying to brag but that was, umm, you know… My key extracurriculars were tennis, Scotts IQ, student council, and NHS, but mostly Scotts IQ.  Scotts IQ was an academic quiz program, and when I was a junior, I was the only girl on the team. So that was really what shaped my high school career, and in fact when I was at Upper Darby, I was able to coach the Upper Darby team, so that was pretty sweet for me.  I really enjoyed that. That was definitely one of my favorite, favorite activities and I think I still have the picture of my Upper Darby team in my drawer here somewhere… So I was not somebody who was, like, super into the party scene in high school.  And as somebody who wasn’t super popular, I think that as an administrator, one of the things I do is I look at ways of making sure that everybody is included because I want kids to have a positive feeling about their high school experience.

HB: How would you describe yourself?

MM: I hope that my friends would say that I’m loyal, that I am kind. I think that I’m funny; I like to think I’m funny. I am very type A. I am somebody who if I see a problem, I wanna solve the problem, but I wanna solve it to the best of my ability.  I don’t do things halfway. If I commit to something, I’m gonna do it 150% because that’s just the type of person I am. I know it sounds cliché. Umm, I am very driven and very organized, again those type A qualities. I guess intense would be a word to describe me. [Laughs.]

HB: What do you like to do in your free time?

MM: My ample free time? So, what I like to do in my free time, of course attend a variety of Harriton activities, that’s number 1. I run. I’m an avid runner, and just getting back into it. I have a shoulder issue that’s preventing me [from running now] but I plan on running the distance run, Philadelphia Half Marathon in the fall, so that’s my goal. Somewhere, you can see my old bibs. [Gestures towards a bulletin board covered in pictures and papers.].  I enjoy reading, playing tennis, I enjoy working out, traveling extensively with my husband… That’s what I enjoy doing in my spare time.

HB: What is a fun fact about you?

MM: I was on Who Wants to be a Millionaire in 2000. That’s my cool fact! That’s my claim to fame! I did not make it to the hot seat with Regis, but I was in that circle of 10 with the fast fingers, and if the person in the hot seat had known that Swanson’s emblem is a turkey, I would probably be a millionaire.  Am I bitter? Not really.

HB: What is your favorite thing about Harriton?

MM: Oooh, so many things, I’ve been here thirteen years.  So, umm, I really don’t know how to put it into words so I’ll give you an example that is a quintessential Harriton example.  Today, a young man asked a girl to prom by using a cat cadaver, and it sounds odd, but it worked. But only at Harriton. I find myself saying that a lot, “Only at Harriton.”  I think that Harriton students are probably some of the best kids I’ve ever encountered. Harriton kids are the type of kids who, if they see a new student, they’re not gonna let that student sit alone at lunch.  They’re not going to make fun of somebody for any sort of difference. We have a variety of kids in this building and I’ve never witnessed outward teasing of anybody. No matter what the issue is, our kids are always really, really supportive and that’s what we want; we want children to grow up to be adults who care about each other and I think that the Harriton students do that really, really well.  When there’s a concern or there’s an issue, our students really come to the aid of those in need, and I think that’s really one of the best qualities of Harriton’s children.  I think the best quality of our staff is that they’re child-centered but they also know their coursework like nobody’s business. They are some of the best teachers in the country. So between those two, I think we have a pretty good life here.

Mrs. Marcuson and her efforts towards improving Harriton are certainly a part of that “pretty good life here” that she observes. Whether she brings students a quiet chuckle through the announcements or a supportive piece of advice, we at Harriton are fortunate to have her in our school.