Schools

Chippewa Valley Bids Farewell to Longtime Faculty, Staff

Kay Smith, Linda Eugenio Vrana and Judy Posner are retiring at the end of the 2011-12 school year.

Chippewa Valley Schools will lose three longtime faculty and staff at the end of this school year with the retirement of Kay Smith, Linda Eugenio Vrana and Judy Posner.

Chippewa Valley school board members recognized the women for their years of service and bid farewell at their June 6 meeting.

Smith and Vrana leave the district with 26 years of service in the classroom and Posner with 27 as an elementary clerk and librarian.

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Kay Smith

Smith started in the district as a substitute teacher in 1979. She was hired full-time to teach fourth grade at Huron Elementary in 1985 and has since served as a media specialist and teacher at Mohawk Elementary, and Chippewa Valley High School.

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"I can't say enough how great it has been to work with Kay over the last five years," said Dr. Jerry Davisson, CVHS principal. "She has treated the media center like it was her home, she created a warm and welcoming climate and attracted teachers and students to the media center. It was a rare time when you would not see the media center full of students. She is willing to help out any way she can."

Linda Eugenio Vrana

Vrana transferred into Chippewa Valley Schools 26 years ago as a Spanish teacher. Since that time she has served as Spanish teacher and International Club adviser at Chippewa Valley and high schools and a National Honor Society adviser at Dakota.

"I've known Linda since 1985," said Tom Heethuis, Dakota principal. "She has been an exemplary Spanish teacher, International Club adviser, department chair, NHS adviser, mentor to numerous students, impacted the lives of thousands of students and shared her passion for the Spanish language and passed along her appreciation of cultural diversity to her students."

Vrana was one of the original 37 teachers to start at Dakota and has watched the school's graduating class grow from 235 the first year to 575 in 2011.

"It's been a pleasure to work with the community," Vrana said. "I've had such great support. When I was sponsor for the International Club at Chippewa and when we started NHS and International Club at Dakota. It's been a privilege to work for this community and I will truly miss all of you."

Judy Posner

Working as a clerk at Clinton Valley and elementary schools and later in the Shawnee media center as a librarian, Posner has been on staff in Chippewa Valley Schools for 27 years.

"I have mixed feelings about (Posner's retirement), because I'm very happy for Judy—she will have time to spend with her husband—but I'm sad because I'm losing Judy, and there is no way I can replace her," said Christine Robershaw, Shawnee principal. "She's the person you want to work for you. I am the envy of all the elementary school principals because I have Judy."


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