Swaim Retires After Decades in Education
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By David [email protected]
Swaim, who has spent 38 years in education with 37 of those at Warsaw, is retiring.
“I love what I do,” Swaim said. “I really feel like I was – as much as someone is called to ministry and called to other things, as my faith is really an important part of who I am – I felt called to education. I felt that was where I needed to be, working in education.”
A “Ride with Rick into Retirement” bike ride is scheduled for 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. May 29 at the Winona Lake Senior Citizen Center. Participants are asked to bring their bike to ride with Swaim through the Winona Lake trails. Instead of gifts, friends, family and former students can make a donation in his honor to The Limitless Park at Winona Lake.
Swaim grew up in Frankfort, Ind., and graduated high school there. He married his high school sweetheart, Ellen.
He went into the U.S. Air Force for four years, entering in January 1971.
“I was drafted into the Army. My draft number was 27 back in the day. I chose to go into the Air Force instead. Never regretted that decision,” he said.
He spent 1-1/2 years in Turkey and 1-1/2 years in Nebraska. He got out a little early in November 1974.
He then went to Ball State University in winter 1974, graduating in summer 1977.
His first job was teaching at Lafayette Central Catholic High School for one year. After resigning there that spring, he came to Warsaw to interview for a job in spring 1978. He accepted the job.
“That was when the whole Values Clarification was hitting the national news,” Swaim recalled. “Back in the late ’70s, Warsaw was infamously known for the Values Clarification books that were burned. It was Values Clarification, ‘Go Ask Alice.’ The Values Clarification books were books that were obtained by a group of elderly folks and burned outside of Center Lake Pavilion.”
Swaim taught business, accounting, business law and some typing and keyboarding at the former Warsaw high school, which is now Lakeview Middle School.
The Air Force paid for all his undergraduate and graduate work, so he got his graduate degree in secondary education. He did the extra work to get his counseling license in the early 1980s.
“As I was teaching, I was going to grad school, which was very typical,” Swaim said.
He said he didn’t really enjoy teaching accounting, but it paid the bills. He loved teaching, but not the subject matter and couldn’t see himself doing that for 30 to 40 years.
“So I looked around to see what else was out there. I considered administration for about 30 seconds and said, ‘No, I don’t want to do that.’ And looked at counseling. I thought that was something I could do. I just felt an attraction to it. I felt it was something I could do that would have an impact on young people and help them, other than in the classroom,” Swaim said.
In the late 1980s, he took on a role as the gifted and talented counselor and coordinator. He did that for two years, traveling between the middle and high schools, identifying and counseling high-ability students.
“I always wanted to be a school counselor, not what I was doing,” Swaim said.
When Delbert Bunnell, the counselor, retired, Swaim applied for and got his position. Counselors were following classes through high school, so Swaim’s first class was the WCHS Class of 1991.
In the early 2000s, he became department coordinator for about 10 years. Three years ago, he became the counselor for the Class of 2015.
“I will graduate with them,” Swaim said.
As for a highlight of his career, he said, “Just working with young people and helping them. Just working with the student who struggles with motivation, they don’t care about school, and getting them over the two, three, four years you work with them and seeing them start to turn around. I hope I had a small part in helping them understand the importance of working hard and being motivated and getting stuff done. That’s the reward of working with young people, what gets me up every morning.”
Even though he’s retiring from counseling at the high school, Swaim still wants to keep working somewhere, whether that’s at the post-secondary or college level.
“I’m still up for that and I’m going to pursue that and see what might be available locally in college or post-secondary. I’m not sure. Maybe teaching,” Swaim said.
He previously taught at Grace College for about five years in its counseling program as an adjunct professor, which he enjoyed. He quit doing that about five years ago.
“I still feel like I’ve got a lot to give,” Swaim said. “And I do enjoy working with young people.”
He said until that next job comes along, he’ll wait and see what plans God has in store for him. Swaim said he’s talked to Grace and Ivy Tech so they know he’s interested in continuing working.
Rick and Ellen have three children, Micah, Crystal and Matt, and six grandchildren.
He also serves on the Winona Lake Park Board and on the Winona Lake Free Methodist Church board.[[In-content Ad]]
Latest News
E-Editions
Swaim, who has spent 38 years in education with 37 of those at Warsaw, is retiring.
“I love what I do,” Swaim said. “I really feel like I was – as much as someone is called to ministry and called to other things, as my faith is really an important part of who I am – I felt called to education. I felt that was where I needed to be, working in education.”
A “Ride with Rick into Retirement” bike ride is scheduled for 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. May 29 at the Winona Lake Senior Citizen Center. Participants are asked to bring their bike to ride with Swaim through the Winona Lake trails. Instead of gifts, friends, family and former students can make a donation in his honor to The Limitless Park at Winona Lake.
Swaim grew up in Frankfort, Ind., and graduated high school there. He married his high school sweetheart, Ellen.
He went into the U.S. Air Force for four years, entering in January 1971.
“I was drafted into the Army. My draft number was 27 back in the day. I chose to go into the Air Force instead. Never regretted that decision,” he said.
He spent 1-1/2 years in Turkey and 1-1/2 years in Nebraska. He got out a little early in November 1974.
He then went to Ball State University in winter 1974, graduating in summer 1977.
His first job was teaching at Lafayette Central Catholic High School for one year. After resigning there that spring, he came to Warsaw to interview for a job in spring 1978. He accepted the job.
“That was when the whole Values Clarification was hitting the national news,” Swaim recalled. “Back in the late ’70s, Warsaw was infamously known for the Values Clarification books that were burned. It was Values Clarification, ‘Go Ask Alice.’ The Values Clarification books were books that were obtained by a group of elderly folks and burned outside of Center Lake Pavilion.”
Swaim taught business, accounting, business law and some typing and keyboarding at the former Warsaw high school, which is now Lakeview Middle School.
The Air Force paid for all his undergraduate and graduate work, so he got his graduate degree in secondary education. He did the extra work to get his counseling license in the early 1980s.
“As I was teaching, I was going to grad school, which was very typical,” Swaim said.
He said he didn’t really enjoy teaching accounting, but it paid the bills. He loved teaching, but not the subject matter and couldn’t see himself doing that for 30 to 40 years.
“So I looked around to see what else was out there. I considered administration for about 30 seconds and said, ‘No, I don’t want to do that.’ And looked at counseling. I thought that was something I could do. I just felt an attraction to it. I felt it was something I could do that would have an impact on young people and help them, other than in the classroom,” Swaim said.
In the late 1980s, he took on a role as the gifted and talented counselor and coordinator. He did that for two years, traveling between the middle and high schools, identifying and counseling high-ability students.
“I always wanted to be a school counselor, not what I was doing,” Swaim said.
When Delbert Bunnell, the counselor, retired, Swaim applied for and got his position. Counselors were following classes through high school, so Swaim’s first class was the WCHS Class of 1991.
In the early 2000s, he became department coordinator for about 10 years. Three years ago, he became the counselor for the Class of 2015.
“I will graduate with them,” Swaim said.
As for a highlight of his career, he said, “Just working with young people and helping them. Just working with the student who struggles with motivation, they don’t care about school, and getting them over the two, three, four years you work with them and seeing them start to turn around. I hope I had a small part in helping them understand the importance of working hard and being motivated and getting stuff done. That’s the reward of working with young people, what gets me up every morning.”
Even though he’s retiring from counseling at the high school, Swaim still wants to keep working somewhere, whether that’s at the post-secondary or college level.
“I’m still up for that and I’m going to pursue that and see what might be available locally in college or post-secondary. I’m not sure. Maybe teaching,” Swaim said.
He previously taught at Grace College for about five years in its counseling program as an adjunct professor, which he enjoyed. He quit doing that about five years ago.
“I still feel like I’ve got a lot to give,” Swaim said. “And I do enjoy working with young people.”
He said until that next job comes along, he’ll wait and see what plans God has in store for him. Swaim said he’s talked to Grace and Ivy Tech so they know he’s interested in continuing working.
Rick and Ellen have three children, Micah, Crystal and Matt, and six grandchildren.
He also serves on the Winona Lake Park Board and on the Winona Lake Free Methodist Church board.[[In-content Ad]]
Have a news tip? Email [email protected] or Call/Text 360-922-3092