Reception honors school district retirees, volunteers

Change and continuity were celebrated simultaneously at La Conner Schools last week.

School district retirees and those not returning in the fall as well as the volunteers who invest hours of their time on campus were honored May 23 during a 75-minute open house reception in the middle school gymnasium.

Six retirees who have served for a combined total of 124 years were formally recognized.

So, too, were over 100 volunteers who assist with tutoring chaperoning, monitoring, speaking, reading and other school-related activities.

Superintendent Will Nelson and others lauded retirees Susanne Bruland (33 years), Lori Buher (27), Jan Auman (25), Juli Olson (20), Nancy Lomsdalen (10) and Andy Wheeler (9).

Nelson lamented that budget issues have forced layoffs of other staff members in the 2023-24 school year.

"We've had to make some cuts," Nelson acknowledged, "and we feel deeply sad we've had to do that. But we want to thank everyone who has served the school district. You've greatly enhanced the lives of our students."

Elementary school Principal Heather Fakkema said teachers described Bruland as being welcoming, trust-worthy and honest and willing to share ideas and strategies as a mentor. "I've found all those to be true," she said.

La Conner Middle and High School Principal Christine Tripp said that Buher, the schools' counselor, will be hard to replace.

"Lori reminds kids that they have the strength within themselves to make good things happen," Tripp said. "She's an awesome person."

Olson began at La Conner Schools as the middle school secretary and then had her role expanded to include the high school office, Tripp noted.

"Now," said Tripp, "she's in charge of the whole thing – sixth grade through twelfth. The office is a very dynamic place and she'll be greatly missed."

Fakkema called Auman a "renaissance woman" for having undertaken a variety of roles with the district, recently as elementary math specialist.

"She mentored our teachers in unprecedented ways," said Fakkema. "What I love about her and Susanne is that I've been able to work with them in different roles. It's been really, really inspirational."

District Director of Operations and Planning Bobby Vaughn, transportation department supervisor, expressed appreciation for Lomsdalen's decade-long tenure as a bus driver.

"That's a long time behind that windshield," he said. "She's been an absolute joy to work with."

Nelson credited Wheeler, the director of special programs, with having been a steadying influence during a transitional period.

"Through it all," he said, "Andy has kept us in line. He keeps us on task. In his head, he has this checklist that keeps in compliance. He is a wonderful person, a wonderful human being."

Retired naval aviator and pilot Kevin Carleton, a secondary math tutor, is the school's Volunteer of the Year, Tripp announced.

"He's a go-to when it comes to math and all the work he does in other areas," Tripp said.

Kamea Luna, Lynette Cram and Kristin Huizenga were saluted as the district's athletics volunteers for their respective seasons. Corey Catubo received the elementary school Volunteer of the Year award and Megan Lisser was named the community service volunteer award recipient.

Gable Wilkens, a longtime Braves Club volunteer, was singled out for his dedication to the district's after-school program.

High school teacher and head track coach Peter Voorhees was called upon to reflect on the team's volunteer work at the Braves Club this year.

"Our theme this year has been capacity and community," he explained. "So, we had to come up with a way to walk our talk, to get out of ourselves and go serve outside of ourselves."

The Braves Club proved the ideal landing spot.

"We took our athletes and coaches to the Braves Club for the first part of our Monday practices," Voorhees said. "That set the tone for our program this season. It's been the highlight of my week, a truly great experience. I'm glad Marlene (Brenton, club director) was open to letting us come in and share that space."

Nelson cited the track team's interaction with the Braves Club as an example of what the school district does well.

"There are wonderful things happening in our district," Nelson said, "because of our staff and volunteers."