A well-earned rest
by Earlene Ward - Yosemite High School
District
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A combined total of 135 years of experience will leave the
Yosemite Joint Union High School District this year with the retirement of
seven long-time employees.
They were guests of honor at a district Retirement / Awards
dinner held June 4. Approximately 100 people attended to wish the retirees well
and to honor the District Teacher of the Year, Brenna Neely, and the District
Employee of the Year, Glen Dibble.
Two of the retiring staff members, math and CAPET (cross age
physical education teaching) teacher Jerry Robison and George Winebrenner,
transportation supervisor, have each been here 24 years, coming to the school
in 1978. Science and math teacher Ed Willy joined the staff 23 years ago in
1979.
Glen Dibble began working at the district in 1981 as a bus
driver / utility worker. Sharon Willy and Mary Pope both came to the district
in 1984. Mrs. Willy is a resource specialist and Mrs. Pope has been the
instructional aide for her through the years. Susan Sundberg, career education
technician, started at the district in 1995.
As the retirees look back over the years they observe a lot
of changes. They applaud the physical changes made to the campus in recent
years, the new buildings, the remodeling of the original open-space classrooms
and the modernization of the campus in general.
Most comment on the introduction of technology and how it
has changed education. Mrs. Pope joked that it was probably time for her to
retire because the students know more about computers than she does.
The retirees are:
Jerry Robison
Jerry Robison has been a teacher for 30 years. He taught for
four years at Firebaugh Junior High School and two years at Bass Lake
Elementary School before starting at YHS in 1978.
He recalls that he was paid an annual salary of $7,700 when
he started teaching, not enough money to even rent a house in Firebaugh.
Physical education is his first love, he says, and baseball
was his first career. “When I knew that I wasn’t heading for the big leagues
(in baseball) I knew I wanted to get a credential and teach and coach,” he
said.
Mr. Robison played in the minor leagues for the Atlanta
Braves for three-and-a-half years as second baseman. Earlier, he played
baseball for the Fresno State Bulldogs and also at McLane High School in
Fresno.
Coaching YHS baseball was very rewarding for him. “Having a
connection with student athletes was very rewarding. I miss coaching the boys’
baseball team especially,” he says. He coached baseball and football at YHS.
He has also been a math and PE teacher and is completing his
fifth year as instructor for the CAPET program.
As he looks back over the past 30 years in education, Mr.
Robison says the highlight of that career was watching his daughter, Jennifer,
perform as a student athlete and turn into a successful young adult.
Mr. Robison and his wife, Linda, also a YHS teacher, took
great pleasure in watching their daughter serve as student body president.
Jennifer, a 1994 YHS graduate, is now a teacher at Spring Valley School in
O’Neals. She is married to Dan Prescott, also a 1994 YHS graduate who graduated
from Fresno State this year. He is awaiting word on where he will be going to
medical school.
“I’m really enjoying our family,” Mr. Robison says. “This is
a really peaceful time; it’s nice to see our daughter and son-in-law doing so
well.”
When he checks in his classroom keys for the last time this
June, Mr. Robison will look forward to relaxing for a while and catching up on
work around their home. After that, he will decide what he wants to do in the
way of part-time work.
“Time is more precious to me,” he says as he thinks of the
future and his desire to spend as much time as possible with his family.
As he reflects on 30 years in the classroom, Mr. Robison
says technology is probably the biggest change he has seen.
“I am truly blessed,” he says, “to have worked with the
students over the years as a teacher and coach. My wife, Linda, has helped me
tremendously deal with my profession over the 30 years, more than she’ll ever
know. I am very proud to have been a teacher.”
George Winebrenner
Since December 19, 1978 George Winebrenner has been
reporting to work daily at YHS and, he says, “every day was special, there were
no bad days. There were days that were different but none were bad. I always
enjoyed coming to work.”
Mr. Winebrenner winds up his career at the YJUHSD June 30
but he will return to assist with the transition of the person who replaces him
as transportation supervisor, a position he has held since 1985.
He started in the district as a light construction
apprentice. During the first summer of his employment he acquired his bus
driver license and in the fall of 1979 he started driving part time. By
December of that year, he had a regular route that he drove for many years. He
hasn’t driven bus much the last eight to 10 years, just filling in as a relief
driver when needed.
Mr. Winebrenner says one of the biggest changes at YHS has
been the number of students. There were less than 400 when he started to work
and now there are over 1100. The increase in enrollment resulted in additional
bus routes and staff.
“It’s really been a pleasure having the association of staff
and students. There are a lot of good people here,” Mr. Winebrenner says. “It’s
most rewarding to see the students go on and be successful and outstanding
members of our community.”
Although he doesn’t know just when it will be, Mr.
Winebrenner will be returning home to New Mexico in the future where he will
“go bird watching and photographing.” His mother and sister still live in New
Mexico where he was born and raised.
“I’m ready to retire and I’m looking forward to it,” he
says, but he admits that it is a little difficult to think about going off and
doing something different.
He remembers that his job at YHS was always an adventure and
that’s what has made it exciting. Now, he says, “I’m looking forward to a new
adventure.”
Ed Willy
Mr. Willy says he has had the pleasure of teaching over
3,000 students during his 23 years at YHS. He enjoys seeing them in the local
stores and visiting with them. “That’s the fun part,” he says, adding that
“being thanked 10-15 years later is the reward, it’s a big reward.”
During his first 10 years at YHS, Mr. Willy taught math,
using the algebra book he wrote, then he was assigned to teach chemistry as
well. He now teaches general science.
Before he started teaching, he was a research chemist in
private industry. He still is a consulting chemist, working on a contract basis
during the summers.
His most recent commercial invention is the ink used on
Callaway golf balls.
In addition to teaching at YHS, for the past 12 years Mr.
Willy has taught chemistry and arithmetic at the Oakhurst Center for State
Center Community College District. He plans to continue teaching there after he
retires from YHS.
Mr. Willy has developed, written and illustrated a series of
educational children’s books. He says there is a lot of interest in the series
and he will explore the possibility of publishing them in the future.
Other future plans include working on arithmetic curriculum
for the elementary school level.
The biggest change he has observed in education through the
years is “a real movement away from high quality curriculum.” He says this is a
statewide trend and he finds it very disturbing. Mr. Willy recently contracted
with a major publisher of science textbooks to correct “many errors and
misconceptions appearing in one of the science texts used at Yosemite.”
Mr. Willy’s wife, Sharon, will also be retiring from YHS
this year. Their children, Gina and David, are both YHS graduates.
Mr. Willy says he plans to spend his retirement “devoting my
time to children.”
Glen Dibble
Glen Dibble worked at Yosemite High for 21 years and he says
he will miss all the people he has known and worked with through the years.
“I’ll miss the teachers and the goodies they give me,” he
says, adding “I will miss all the employees.” One of the people he will
especially miss is Kevyn Moberly, director of maintenance, operations and
transportation. “We’ve spent eight hours a day for 21 years working together,”
he says.
Mr. Dibble liked the variety in his job. “There was
something different every day,” he says, “it was never boring.”
He liked working with so many different people, noting that
“it’s a real exciting place to work when you work with so many people. There is
always something interesting going on; something funny happens every day.”
Mr. Dibble was pleased through the years to find the
teachers so appreciative of what he did for them. “We’re here for the kids,” he
says. “I’m here to please the teachers and they’re here for the kids.”
Before going to work at YHS, Mr. Dibble was a service man
for a local propane company. He started as a bus driver / utility worker /
maintenance person. He drove bus until December 2001.
The biggest change he has observed in his time at YHS is the
new buildings added in recent years. He also notes that students’ attitudes are
different than they used to be and the way they dress is different.
When he leaves YHS June 28 he looks forward to “playing with
my plane” and spending more time with his grandchildren. He has been a pilot
for 18 years. A fond memory for him is a recent flight with his young
granddaughter. He suggested they fly to McDonalds, she thought he was being
funny. However, the airstrip in Los Banos is just across the road from a
McDonald’s restaurant so they flew there for a treat.
Now, the granddaughter always says “Let’s go flying to
McDonalds.”
Besides flying and spending time with his two grandchildren,
Mr. Dibble says he has a “honey-do” list as long as his arm that needs
attention.
He was born and raised in Wisconsin. He joined the air force
when he was 19 and was stationed at Castle Air Base in California. While he was
here, he met the woman who would later become his wife. He went back to
Wisconsin when he was discharged from the service but moved to California in
1964 and married Sharon.
They have two children, Jason of Madera and Dawn of Clovis,
both of whom are YHS graduates.
Sharon Willy
When the seniors from the resource program at Yosemite High
School graduate June 12, Sharon Willy will be almost as happy as the students.
“One of the highlights of my career is each year’s
graduation, watching my students get so excited about their accomplishments,”
she says.
When Mrs. Willy started at YHS in 1984, she was the only
resource specialist on staff; today there are three. She is also chairman of
the special education department at YHS.
Resource is part of the special education department and is
for students with learning handicaps who can cope with regular classes most of
the day but spend one to three periods a day in resource.
Resource teachers are only allowed to have 28 students in
their caseload although they teach many more students each day. Mrs. Willy
notes that about 10 percent of the student population is in special education /
resource.
She says special education has changed a lot through the
years, mostly in the area of accountability and paperwork.
“There has always been accountability in special education
because it is a federally mandated program, but in recent years, more and more
has been added. This has also added a great deal of extra paperwork,” she says.
Mrs. Willy says a very positive change “is that general
education teachers are much more aware of the needs of all students than they
were 20 years ago. I have enjoyed working with all of the teachers here.”
Mrs. Willy received her bachelor’s degree and teaching
credential in English from the University of California at Davis. She earned
her special education credential at California State University, Fresno.
The Willy family moved to Oakhurst in 1979 when Ed Willy
started to work at YHS. Mrs. Willy decided at that time to return to school for
her special education credential. She had taught for one year when she finished
her credential at UCD but then stayed home with their children.
After completing her education at CSUF, she taught half-time
for one year at Bass Lake Elementary School and then moved to YHS.
When she was the only resource specialist on staff, she
taught all subjects. Now the department is more compartmentalized and she
concentrates on English.
She will return to YHS on a part-time basis after she
retires to help with testing in the resource and special education classes. She
also plans to travel, take care of a baby and spend more time with her
grandchildren.
Mr. and Mrs. Willy’s two children graduated from YHS. Gina
is a 1986 graduate and is married to Paul Wade, who is a 1988 graduate. They
have three children. David is a 1989 graduate. He and his wife, Kim, have one
child.
Mrs. Willy has enjoyed the “wonderful people” she has worked
with at YHS and she says it was great to have her children at the school.
Reflecting on her years in education, she says “While there
have been many changes in the focus of education in the last 20 years, the
basics have remained the same. I’ve tried to help my students achieve to the
best of their ability. I’ve attempted to be an advocate for special education
students over the years.”
Mary Pope
Mary Pope, the 1999 District Classified Employee of the
Year, says it is always a thrill to see the students in the resource program
graduate. She has been an aide in the program since the program started in
1984.
She started working on the YHS campus in 1982 as a Madera
County employee in the special education program. In 1984 when the resource
program started at YHS she was the aide to Carol Tatum in a special day class.
She and Sharon Willy have worked together for at least the
last 15 years and they will retire at the same time.
Mary and Bob Pope moved to Oakhurst in 1978. Mr. Pope was a
counselor at YHS and retired as the head counselor in 1998. Mrs. Pope worked as
s substitute teacher throughout the mountain area for four years.
She also taught in the YHS independent study / concurrent
enrollment program for four or five years after the regular school day ended.
Mrs. Pope says it has been “a real pleasure to have students
all four years. It is wonderful to see their growth and to see how they go
through the turbulence of the teenage years.”
She says she will miss the students and she will also miss
the social part of the staff. “I will miss the morning hellos, getting updates
on families. This is a benefit of a small community; you feel the support
system.”
The biggest change she has seen at YHS is the larger class
sizes as the student population grew. Because of this, there needs to be more
regulation now, from hall passes to the High School Exit Exam.
“The change at the campus is a wonderful thing,” she says of
the recent construction project. “I hope the community continues to support the
growth of our campus and the refurbishing.”
Computers have also made a huge change in education, she
notes. “It’s now a computer world.”
Mrs. Pope graduated from Miami University in Ohio and earned
her teaching credential at California State University, Domingues Hills.
She was a social worker for three years after graduation.
Then she married Bob Pope and they decided she should get her credential.
They moved to Germany where Mr. Pope taught in Department of
Defense schools for two years. She started a pre-school in their housing unit
and then later taught kindergarten in a DOD school.
When they returned to the United States, she taught an adult
education parenting class. This was in a pre-school setting where parents
brought their children.
The Popes’ daughter, Tracy, is a 1991 graduate of YHS. She
is now a special education teacher in the Palos Verdes School District.
After she retires, Mr. and Mrs. Pope will travel and spend
more time at the coast. Mrs. Pope and Tracy will go to Hawaii this summer and
in the fall Mr. and Mrs. Pope will go on a Galapagos Expedition.
They will continue to live in Oakhurst. “It’s a wonderful
place to have a home and be part of the activities in the community,” she says.
Susan Sundberg
Susan Sundberg, the career education technician at YHS, has
spent the last 18 years helping students decide what they will enjoy doing in
the future. For the past seven years, she has been at YHS; before that she was
at McLane High School in Fresno.
She describes her job as getting students to figure out what
they enjoy doing and then helping them identify how these interests can relate
to a job. With this help, she says, “hopefully when they move on they will wind
up with something they enjoy. It is very important to have a job you like.”
She also shows the students where they can get the training
for their chosen career and helps them identify the classes they need in high
school to qualify for the training. Additionally, she helps them find money to
get the training they need.
“We don’t want any door to be closed,” she says. “Everything
they do now affects what they will do later.”
Mrs. Sundberg says it is her goal that the students “not
just fall into a job but find something they actually enjoy doing.”
She has thoroughly enjoyed her years at YHS. “The attitude
of the students and the way they treat everyone and each other with respect is
special. I have never had a bad class.”
The students at YHS are much more respectful and polite than
the students were in Fresno. “The kids there were rude and disrespectful, you
always had to be on your guard. It was a real trial.” she remembers. “After I’d
been here a couple of weeks, I felt like I had died and gone to heaven.”
She understands that people who have not worked in another
environment may not appreciate the students as much as she does. “Just one day,
people need to be in a large school. They would never complain about YHS
again,” she believes.
However, she has seen a change in student modesty over the
years, but it “is still mild compared to Fresno.” She notes the way students
openly display their affection as something that has changed. She also believes
young people are less active today than they once were and she says it is
probably because of computers.
Mrs. Sundberg is part of the counseling department at YHS.
She says she has enjoyed a lot of administrative support here and “the teachers
I work with are great. This is a wonderful place to be.”
After 18 years in education, she says she feels ready to do
something else. She will travel, work on some personal projects and pursue a
lot of interests.
She and her husband, Dennis, have one daughter, Heather, who
is a teacher in Santa Rosa.
Looking back, she says the time she has spent in schools
seems like yesterday: “Time goes so fast.”