Valley Recognizes Retiring Mentone Staff
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The Tippecanoe Valley School Corp. honored several retiring Mentone Elementary School staff members at the TVSC Board meeting on Monday, April 18. They include (from left) Mentone music teacher Tana Tinkey, instructional coach Patti Newman and second grade teacher Alisa Baker. They were joined by Mentone Principal Randy Dahms. InkFreeNews photos by Leah Sander.
By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews
MENTONE — Tippecanoe Valley School Corp. has recognized several retiring Mentone Elementary School educators who have about 120 years of experience combined under their belts.
TVSC honored Mentone instructional coach Patti Newman, music teacher Tana Tinkey, second grade teacher Alisa Baker and first grade teacher Pam Sellers at its regular board meeting on Monday, April 18, at Mentone. All were present except Sellers.
TVSC Superintendent Blaine Conley cited the amount of years the four have worked in education and read profiles on the three that were present that included questions they answered.
Newman has been an educator for 36 years, all within TVSC, said Conley. She followed in the footsteps of her mother, the late Phyllis Gearhart, who had taught at Akron Elementary School.
“One of the aspects I’ve enjoyed the most is obviously the students,” Newman noted in her profile. “The other is the people I’ve been so fortunate to work alongside.”
“I have many fond memories: the most rewarding, making my mama proud, taking after her (as a teacher), when former students have come back to me to tell me I was one of their favorite teachers and they remember activities we did in class such as pet rocks, hatching chicks, ducks, turkeys, paper mache projects. They said I made learning fun. Having former students become teachers and even a principal and say it was because of me, just looking back at all the students and co-workers that enriched my life,” she also said in the profile.
Newman also said in the profile that she would “miss the day-to-day challenges and successes of working with kids every day.”
“Every day is different because kids know how to keep you on your toes,” she said in the profile.
Baker has taught for 31 years, all within TVSC, said Conley.
In her profile, Baker noted that what she found to be “most rewarding (was) seeing the growth each of my children make as they progress throughout the year.”
“I also feel honored to have had several former students become colleagues and teach within my building,” she said in the profile. Baker said in the profile she’d miss “the caring and family-like environment here at Mentone.”
Tinkey has worked for 33 years in education, with all but one spent within TVSC.
“Seeing former students as responsible adults is what she finds most rewarding … also to have former students as co-workers or sitting on the school board,” Conley read from her profile.
“She will miss watching students realize they can play an instrument and seeing the students just overall enjoy music,” Conley also read from the profile.
“I want to thank the community for supporting their students in elementary activities,” Tinkey also said in the profile. “All of this is a foundation to prepare students to decide what options they want to continue in middle school, high school and the next adventure after graduation, be it clubs, sports, e-sports … singing or playing an instrument. Everyone needs someone to say, ‘Way to go.’ As a Valley graduate I know because this is how I became a teacher. Thank you for your support.”
The corporation had a public reception for the teachers before the meeting and accepted the retirement of Baker, Tinkey and Sellers during the meeting.
Mentone update
The TVSC Board also heard an update on Mentone from its Principal Randy Dahms and his staff.
They recognized students from the spell bowl and math teams and students who achieved a perfect score on the state IREAD-3 standardized test.
Staff who led student council shared what activities the kids had participated in this year. Those include collecting 3,540 items for a food drive for Mary and Jerry’s Helping Hands food pantry of Mentone, raising more than $3,000 through coin wars for Riley Hospital for Children and buying Christmas presents for a local family in need through the Miracle Tree program.
Dahms also noted that Mentone students did well on recent growth assessments in math and reading, scoring 61% in math and 75% in reading.
In other business, the board:
- Approved the hiring of Akron Elementary School custodian Pablo Cabrera and TVSC Maintenance Director Brad Carter.
- Approved Hannah Gibbons as Tippecanoe Valley Middle School assistant track coach, Denvil Mason as TVMS soccer coach and Jacqueline Rosado-Wilson as Mentone fifth grade girls basketball coach.
- Approved Karissa Cody switching to be an instructional coach at Mentone and Lauren Hill switching to be an instructional assistant at Mentone.
- Approved the maternity leave for Akron kindergarten teacher Jenny Stiffler.
- Accepted the resignation of TVMS cooks Teresa Fox and Sonia Beck and math teacher Alex Gudeman; TVSC Network Administrator Drew Jones; Mentone instructional assistant Madalynn Corbett and high ability coordinator Amanda Phenis; Akron instructional assistant Ashley Keeney; and Tippecanoe Valley High School language arts teacher Christopher Secrist.
- Accepted the retirement of Akron PE teacher Kathy Good.
- Accepted a $319 donation from DonorsChoose for sensory items for TVMS special education teacher Cathy Olson’s students.
- Accepted a $116 donation from the M&M Extension Homemakers Club to the Boomerang Backpack program at TVHS, which provides food to TVHS students in need.
- Accepted an anonymous donation of $500 to the TVHS softball program from a parent.
The board’s next regular meeting is 6 p.m. Monday, May 16, at Akron.
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During Dahms and his staff’s update to the board on Mentone, the school’s spell bowl team was recognized. Mentone staff member Karissa Cody, far right, stands with the team members.