Five teachers and six classified staff members are retiring at the end of this school year:
– Nancy Keesecker, a kindergarten teacher at Hawthorne Elementary School, has spent 35 years in the district and 36 in education. She has taught kindergarten through third grade and worked at Holley, Pleasant Valley, Oak Heights and Hawthorne.
– Sue Walling, a teacher at Foster Elementary School, has been in education for 29 years. She has taught first through fourth grade at Foster.
She spent 19 years as a full-time teacher and 10 as a substitute.
– Patricia Kagler, a teacher at Foster, has taught first through fifth grade there for 27 years.
– Joanne Wiitala, a language arts teacher at Sweet Home High School, has been in the district for four years.
She has spent 31 years in education. She taught English and was a counselor at David Douglas High School in Portland.
– Connie May, Title I coordinator and a mentor and instructional coach, has spent 39 years in Sweet Home and 42 years in education.
She has worked in all schools as a mentor and teaching coach, and she has taught second through fifth grade at Crawfordsville, Oak Heights, Pleasant Valley and Foster.
– Tony Tenbusch, accounting and purchasing at the Central Office, has worked off and on in the district for 35 years.
She has worked at Oak Heights and Crawfordsville, and she has worked in Student Services.
– Susan Kinney, a secretary in Student Services at the Central Office, has been with the district for 17 years. She also has worked at Oak Heights.
– Traci Gagner, an assistant at Sweet Home Junior High School, has been in the district for 17 years.
– Vanessa Gallup, a special education assistant at SHJH, has been in the district for 18 years.
– Jeff Gallup, a special education assistant at SHJH, has been in the district for 12 years and worked at Hawthorne and SHJH.
– Debi Bentley, bookkeeper at the SHHS Student Store, has been in the district for two years. She has been in education for 27 years.
She was bookkeeper, business manager and office manager at Nestucca Valley.