Sherrard School District retirees were honored at the all-staff breakfast last week.
Sherrard School District retirees were honored at the all-staff breakfast last week.
The following are recognized in alphabetical order:
Superintendent Alan Boucher - retiring after 36 years of public education service - 15 of those spent at Sherrard School District - where he first served as Principal of Coyne Center Elementary from 1998-2006, and then superintendent from 2015 to present.
The Sherrard School Board hosted a retirement ceremony in Boucher’s honor on May 20 at Pinnacle Country Club. School Board President Rhys Fullerlove spoke about Mr. Boucher’s career.
“It’s been said that the beautiful thing about learning, and about education, is that it can never be taken away from you. I think that Alan completely understood, and fully embraced, that philosophy. He wanted every kid who passed through this district to receive an education that would last a lifetime – that would equip them with the knowledge and the insight to take advantage of whatever opportunities which came along and enable them to succeed in their own lives and careers.
This was Alan’s guiding star – he never lost sight of it, and he inspired so many others to pursue it along with him. That’s why we honor him, and why he’ll always be remembered.
To be sure, we will miss Alan, maybe more than we know – but, to be honest, we’ll carry on without him. We’ll keep moving forward because of the progress we made under his leadership, and because he leaves us pointed in the right direction. We will continue to build on what he built here over the years, and continue to use him as a role model of what it means to be an outstanding educator. His legacy will endure for a long time to come – and, just like the learning which he helped instill in so many students, it will never be taken from us.
Godspeed, Alan, and may your retirement years be filled with joy. You’ve certainly earned it. Thank you.”
Mary Hessman - Secretary at Matherville Intermediate school - previously secretary at Winola Elementary School is retiring after 25 years in the district.
Christy Pagett, music teacher at Matherville had this to say,
“I’ve known Mary for 5 years, she’s always a welcoming face to everyone in the office, including staff, parents and students. She’ll be greatly missed by everyone in the district. When you’re a part of a family you take care of one another, and being part of a smaller staff, we always say that MV is like a big family and Mary sure has been a big part of it.
Mary’s been taking care of kids and staff for over 25 years in our district, being a secretary in Winola for 20 years and Matherville Intermediate for the last 5 - although her time with us has been short, I think I can speak for all of us at Matherville when I say that it’s hard to imagine things without her.
She’s always put the needs of others before her own, she’s always kept things running really smoothly, as much as they can in the office - which can get pretty hectic at times.”
Brian Hutton - Educator at Sherrard High School - Taught Social Studies/Media Productions (including STV) for 35 years
Kim McCreight, PE and Drivers Ed teacher spoke about Hutton during the all-staff breakfast,
“I first met Brian in the late 90’s when he was coaching my son Tyson and Ty was in 6th grade. We came over from Aledo to be at his camp, which was an amazing camp he put on every summer. I was scared. Super scared of him. He was really a great coach, and that was one of the reasons why, in 2000, we decided we were going to move over here, and he was a big part of the reason we moved over here.
From that point on, I decided I probably better look at getting a spit guard for my son’s face because he was always in it. I kept telling Ty, if he wasn’t paying attention to you, you probably wouldn’t be on the court.
You’ve been a great mentor for me, a personal friend and I’ve enjoyed working with you. We’re going to miss you. Thank you for being a part of Sherrard, and thank you for being a great basketball coach and a teacher to my kids as well.”
