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POSTED: Tuesday, Jun. 16, 2009

Whatcom County schools say goodbye to longtime workers, friends

Students across Whatcom County are gradually being released for summer vacation, saying goodbye to teachers and friends they may not see for months.

But this time of year also brings some goodbyes for teachers and school employees who are retiring or moving on to new careers.

Here are three familiar faces in schools who are retiring this summer, and a list of others departing.

JUDITH TIMOTHY SHEPHERD

For the last 40 years, Judith Timothy Shepherd, or Tim as she's better known, has worked as an educator. She's done it all, from working with the Nooksack Tribal Headstart program to teaching English at Mount Baker High School to working as a teacher-producer for PBS to teaching at Western Washington University.

But her favorite is teaching the sixth grade, which she's done for the bulk of her career.

"It's a huge stepping stone in their life to change from childhood to adolescence," the 61-year-old said. "They're a cross between a small child and a young adult, and it's a beautiful experience to watch the little metamorphosis happening."

Over the years, Shepherd has mentored student teachers, and she always sends them to other classrooms and schools to get experience in different grades, both younger and older.

"My theory is if you're going to be certified K-8, you have to know where your children are coming from and where your children are going," she said. "That way you have some perspective on the expectations of their academics as well as their social behavior."

Other than her first year of teaching, which was in Federal Way, all of Shepherd's 33 years of classroom experience have been in the Mount Baker School District. She's worked in numerous buildings, but she's been at Kendall Elementary since the school opened in 1999.

Shepherd decided in the fourth grade that she wanted to be some kind of educator, after being inspired by her younger brother's struggle with dyslexia and finding a teacher who would "think outside the box" in helping him learn to read.

And it's partly because of watching her brother that Shepherd has become a literacy advocate, helping students in her classroom as well as offering night classes for Hispanic and Slavic adults in the area.

"There is nothing more rewarding than teaching someone to read at any age - whether a student, my own child, or one of my adult (English Language Learner) parents," she said.

Shepherd doesn't have many plans for retirement, other than spending time with her two young grandchildren, but she feels it's time to leave.

"Thank you to all the people I've worked with over the years," she said.

ETHLYN (LYNN) WILLETT

Lynn Willett has never been a teacher, but she's definitely affected student learning. For nearly 24 years, Willett has been helping keep the Bellingham School District running from behind the scenes in the human resources department.

"You start work someplace and have no idea it will last that long," the 62-year-old said. "It's been interesting; it's been quite a journey."

She started as a part-time food service accountant, working fours hours each day while her two kids were in school. Over the years, she slowly acquired more hours until she moved to the payroll department as a full-time employee. After about five years, she moved to the human resources department, where she has been helping teachers and other school district employees figure out their contracts.

And while many people would find looking at data and spreadsheets painfully boring, Willett can't get enough of them.

"It takes a special kind of person to like this job," she said with a laugh.

Willett originally planned to retire earlier this year but decided to stay on to help with the complicated budget and financial planning needed to limit staff layoffs. Her position is not being filled after she leaves.

"It's been very difficult this year," she said.

Willett doesn't fully know what she and her husband, who retired a few years ago, will do after she's unemployed. But she does have one plan: spending as much time as possible with her first grandchildren - twins who are due this summer.

And even though she'll miss all her coworkers, she's ready to move to the next adventure.

"I just know that the timing is right," she said. "God has blessed us with twins on the way ... but it's been great working for the school district."

CATHY COOK

Cathy Cook wanted to be a teacher since she was in elementary school, and after 32 years in the profession, she's never had any doubt she made the right decision.

"I've loved it," the 55-year-old said. "I've loved every minute of teaching, I've loved working with the kids, I've loved working with my colleagues here at Mountain View (Elementary)."

At the end of the school year, Cook will retire from the Ferndale School District, the only place she's worked. And other than a few years spent at Central Elementary right after graduating from Western Washington University, Cook has been at Mountain View Elementary her entire teaching career.

Cook has served on district committees, including many that dealt with district curriculum, but one of her favorite activities has been working with Math Olympiad as a coach and organizer for about 25 years.

"It's been memorable because I get to work with the highly motivated students who are interested in math, and take them forward in it," she said.

Most of her career has been spent teaching the sixth grade, an age group Cook enjoys because she can still inspire them and keep their attention throughout the year. One of her tricks is to start the year with lessons about insects and let the students collect the bugs that they'll study. By collecting the insects, students feel involved in the lesson.

"To see a 12-year-old, 6 feet tall, running across the field chasing a butterfly is an amazing thing," she said. "When I do that, I know I have their minds for the rest of the year."

When Cook leaves Ferndale this summer, she won't be leaving the education world. A member of the Shuswap Tribe in Canada, Cook will work as a math specialist at Lummi Nation Tribal School starting this fall.

"I'm 55 and I'm not done yet," she said. "I figure I still have several good years left."

OTHER DEPARTURES

Below is a list of people leaving local school districts after numerous years of service. The names and years of service were submitted by the school districts - not all districts responded to requests for the information.

BELLINGHAM SCHOOL DISTRICT

• Margaret Brown, Squalicum High School secretary, 13 years in Bellingham Public Schools.

• Catherine Carlin, Sehome High School paraeducator, 29 years in Bellingham Public Schools.

• Dennis Cleary, Whatcom Middle School counselor, 43 years in public education, 40 in Bellingham.

• Marcia Harris, PE teacher at Birchwood Elementary School, 39 years in education, 11 in Bellingham.

• Marcia Lambert, Kulshan Middle School library assistant, 23 years in Bellingham Public Schools.

• Nancy McCallum, Shuksan Middle School psychologist, seven years in Bellingham Public Schools.

• Roxanne McKee, Birchwood Elementary second-grade teacher, 21 years in Bellingham Public Schools.

• Michael Pucci, Larrabee Elementary head custodian, 19 years in Bellingham Public Schools.

• Vanda Russell, occupational therapist, 22 years in Bellingham Public Schools.

• Patricia Rutan, Whatcom Middle School counseling secretary/registrar, 25 years in Bellingham Public Schools.

• Patricia Webster, Silver Beach Elementary paraeducator, 131/2 years in Bellingham Public Schools.

BLAINE SCHOOL DISTRICT

• Nancy Terry, instructional associate, 13 years in Blaine Public Schools.

FERNDALE SCHOOL DISTRICT

• Christine Wardenburg-Skinner, Vista Middle School art teacher, 16 years in Ferndale Public Schools.

LYNDEN CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS

• Dee Van Hofwegen, third-grade teacher.

• Keith Lambert, high school principal. Moving to Spokane after 12 years at Lynden Christian High School.

• Phyllis Tjoelker, librarian.

• Art Tjoelker, fifth-grade teacher.

LYNDEN SCHOOL DISTRICT

• Pam Dyk, Fisher Elementary first-grade teacher, 29 years in public education, 20 in Lynden.

• Barbara Randall, Lynden Middle School English Language Learners teacher, 21 years in public education, 15 in Lynden.

• Carolyn Wolfe, Lynden Middle School speech language pathologist, 35 years in public education, seven in Lynden.

MOUNT BAKER SCHOOL DISTRICT

• Steve Blum-Anderson, Kendall Elementary sixth-grade teacher.