By Alex Thalhimer

Morgan, Ben, & Roxy on Christmas.

You may have seen a new face in the Collegiate community this year and thought to yourself, “Who’s that new senior?” New Upper School math teacher Morgan Norge says she’s been confused for a student a few times this year, and on the first week of school, another teacher admonished her for using the faculty bathroom!

Norge was born and raised in Midlothian, Virginia, along with her parents, older brother Ben, her dog Roxy, and her two hermit crabs; Sandy and Mr. Crabs. She attended J.B. Watkins Elementary School, followed by Middle School at Milwood, then graduated from Banner Christian School in 2014. Norge then moved on to attend Virginia Commonwealth University and receive her bachelor’s and master’s. 

Norge and family.

At the age of two, Norge found her life-long passion: dance. She began dancing at a local studio, Jessica Morgan School of Dance (which has recently closed). Norge took various classes, including ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary, and modern. When she turned 11, she switched to a new studio, Spotlight Studio of Dance and the Arts, where she met her new ballet teacher, Shannon McConville. 

McConville quickly became a great influence on Norge, and Norge says that it was not until her time at Spotlight that “dance got serious,” specifically ballet. When Norge was 15, McConville opened her own studio, Stavna Ballet, and Norge followed. 

So when did Norge find her love for math? It was not until her junior year at Banner Christian, in math teacher Wilson Bage’s class. Norge explains that she “always loved math. I enjoyed puzzles and did sudoku for fun, but he was the first person that was like, ‘You’re really good at math, you should think about majoring in it.”’

The summer before her senior year, Norge auditioned and was accepted for a summer intensive spot at the Joffrey Ballet School, located in New York City. That summer, Norge lived in NYC, spending every day from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. attending rigorous classes. Towards the end of Norge’s time at Joffrey, she was offered a year-long trainee spot. After much consideration, Norge turned down the offer and returned home for her last year of high school, which she says she “doesn’t regret, because I loved my senior year.” 

Norge with Joffrey dancers.

Following high school, Norge planned to continue her dancing and mathematics careers in college. Two of her potential schools were Butler University in Indiana, and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, located in Winston-Salem, but she landed at VCU because the others did not feel “like the right fit” for the long distance away from home. During her first year, Norge decided to only major in math after McConville offered her a spot on the Stavna company team. 

During Norge’s undergraduate years at VCU, she became a volunteer leader for high school students with Young Life, a “Christ-centered ministry that helps kids know Jesus.” Through this work, Norge “saw what a crucial time high school serves in people’s lives.” 

Norge graduated a year early from VCU in the spring of 2017 with her Bachelor’s in Applied Mathematics and returned that fall for graduate school. During this time, Norge became a Pre-Calculus Teaching Assistant for undergrad students while simultaneously working and dancing at Stavna and Young Life. This time as a grad student helped Norge realize that she “loved teaching math,” but it was because of Young Life that she found her passion for “also supporting students growing outside of the classroom.” 

Norge performing as “Snow White” in a Stavna Ballet recital.

Norge graduated from VCU Graduate School in 2019 with a Masters of Science in Mathematics. She then started working as a math teacher at Trinity Episcopal School that fall. Norge explains she was originally drawn to Trinity because it is where her brother attended, and she “just liked the philosophy of independent schools.” During her time at Trinity, she taught Pre-Calculus, BC Calculus, and even created her own course, “The Art of Problem Solving.” She also sponsored a variety of clubs and co-led their outdoor program.

Norge paddle boarding on the James River.

During the spring of 2022, Norge applied to Collegiate, out of curiosity, she says. But during her interview with Head of Upper School Patrick Loach and math department chair Karen Albright, she explains that she “immediately felt at home.” Albright told me that “during the interview, when Ms. Norge asked what we were looking for in a hire, I answered ‘you’ … I immediately felt like she belonged with us.” Loach also said that he took away two special things, one being that “It was clear that she loved mathematics and wanted to help others discover a passion for the subject as well. The second was a genuine sense of kindness that was evident not long into the interview. When she left, Ms. Albright and I looked at each other and both agreed she was the one.”  

In Norge’s first semester at Collegiate, it has not taken long for students to build connections. She is currently teaching four courses: Algebra II, Calculus, Honors Math Modeling in the fall, and Multivariable Calculus in the spring. She is also a freshman advisor, Middle School mountain biking assistant coach, and occasionally subs for Lower and Middle school dance classes.

Norge volunteering at Robinson Theater.

Bella Glenn (‘26) met Norge this past summer through Young Life and now is in her Algebra II class. Glenn explains, “she’s definitely one of the most compassionate people I know. She has educated me and led me down the right paths, but through everything has supported me and helped me. She’s genuinely one of the biggest blessings in my life, and I am just incredibly lucky to have her as a teacher, church leader, and friend.”  

Outside of Norge’s work and school life, she has been welcomed into the Church Hill community through the Robinson Theater Community Arts Center. She began volunteering her junior year at VCU through the Stavna Reach program, with a mission to bring ballet into areas of Richmond where it may not be as accessible. Robinson holds daily classes for kids and adults, and Norge began teaching weekly ballet classes for kids ages two to five. After years of working with the directors, more classes were created, and she now works with children ages two through twelve. 

Norge, Me’Kel Williams, and Collegiate dancers at Robinson.

Norge explains her passion for dance: “Ballet was such a big part of my life. It was an outlet for me, so I could go to ballet and forget about everything else going on, and it was so good for me that I want every kid to have that opportunity to have ballet as an outlet. I never thought I would still be doing this, but I love the kids so much. Some I met when they were two years old, and now they’re going into middle school, so it would almost feel weird to not see them, because they’ve been a part of my life for so long.”  

This fall semester, I was lucky enough to assist Norge every Thursday, along with my dance classmate Zoë Mintz (‘23). While we were only able to volunteer at Robinson for a little over a month, we quickly made connections with the little girls, making the goodbyes following their recital difficult. We plan to return to Robinson for more volunteer work in the spring.

In Norge’s free time outside of the classroom and studio, she enjoys the outdoors, especially boating, wakeboarding, and swimming at her family’s river house on the Piankatank River, her “happy place.” She also loves to travel; her favorite place is St. Barts in the Caribbean, and her current dream travel locations are Hawaii or Greece. A fun fact about Norge is she was featured as a background dancer in a horror movie!

Norge hiking in the Grand Tetons.

All photos courtesy of Morgan Norge.