Tippy Valley Board Honors Retirees

July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.


AKRON – Tippecanoe Valley School Board recognized 10 retiring staff Monday night during the monthly school board meeting.

Four attended the meeting, including Pam McFarland, Kay Garrett, Bill Leininger and Linda Murphy.

Sixth-grade science teacher Bill Leininger, TVMS, is ending his teaching career of 42 years.

Starting in 1970 in the classroom where he completed his first observation as a college student, he taught six years in the Manchester Community Schools followed by 36 years at Tippecanoe Valley, where he taught at both Mentone School and Tippecanoe Valley Middle School.  Sixth grade has been the focus of his entire career. He taught all subjects the first six years, English and social studies for four years, and science for the past 32 years.

Leininger told the board, “It’s been a hoot. I enjoyed every moment of it.”

Tippecanoe Valley Administration Office Deputy Treasurer Linda Murphy is retiring after 40 years of service with Valley.

She began her career with Tippecanoe Valley the summer of 1963 after graduating from Talma High School when she was hired to work in the superintendent’s office. In fall 1963, the school at Talma became a junior high and she was hired as the secretary/treasurer under Principal Marion Acton.

Murphy worked at Talma Junior High four years until giving birth to her daughter, April, in July 1967. She lived in Germany for a year and was a stay-at-home mom for nine years before returning to the TVSC as treasurer at Tippecanoe Valley High School under Principal Forst Dunnuck. She worked at TVHS until 1982 when she moved to the central office to work as deputy treasurer under Superintendent Baxter Paige.

Akron Elementary special needs teacher Kay Garrett is retiring after 31 in education, the last 12 with Valley.

Holding multiple special education certifications has allowed Garrett the opportunity to teach children in wide variety of positions at Argos Junior/Senior High School, Peru Junior High School, Warsaw Middle School, Warsaw Community High School, Rochester Middle School, Rochester High School, Tippecanoe Valley Middle School and Akron Elementary School.

Pam McFarland, fourth-grade teacher at Akron Elementary, is ending her 33-year career in teaching, the final 28 years at Akron.

She began her teaching career in the East Allen County Schools at Woodburn Elementary where she taught for five years. McFarland worked for Indiana University, supervising student teachers and graduate students in I.U.’s reading clinic. She also helped start the Beaver Dam Preschool before being hired by Principal Dan Kramer to teach kindergarten at Akron School. That year of teaching kindergarten was followed by 27 years of teaching fourth grade.

McFarland told the board, “I want to thank Mark Wise for coming in and helping me teach math this year. He was a buddy with one of my students this year. It was great to have him come in.”

Wise, the board president, said he was impressed by McFarland in the classroom.

She said teaching “has been a joy.”

The board also recognized:

Middle School Assistant Principal Jeff France is retiring with 27 years in education, the past 18-1/2 as an administrator at Valley.

Lora Harp, Mentone Elementary school counselor, is finishing a 35-year career in education that started at an alternative school in Muncie where she taught English for four years.

Speech and language pathologist Susie Kinney, Mentone Elementary, is retiring after 38 years in education, 35 at Valley.

Principal Earl Richter, TVMS, is retiring after 36 years in education, having served as principal of TVMS since the start of the 2000-2001 school year.

Special needs teacher Peggy Schuldt, TVMS, is retiring after 39 years in education.

Mentone Elementary fifth-grade teacher Rebecca Smith is retiring after 38 years in education.

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AKRON – Tippecanoe Valley School Board recognized 10 retiring staff Monday night during the monthly school board meeting.

Four attended the meeting, including Pam McFarland, Kay Garrett, Bill Leininger and Linda Murphy.

Sixth-grade science teacher Bill Leininger, TVMS, is ending his teaching career of 42 years.

Starting in 1970 in the classroom where he completed his first observation as a college student, he taught six years in the Manchester Community Schools followed by 36 years at Tippecanoe Valley, where he taught at both Mentone School and Tippecanoe Valley Middle School.  Sixth grade has been the focus of his entire career. He taught all subjects the first six years, English and social studies for four years, and science for the past 32 years.

Leininger told the board, “It’s been a hoot. I enjoyed every moment of it.”

Tippecanoe Valley Administration Office Deputy Treasurer Linda Murphy is retiring after 40 years of service with Valley.

She began her career with Tippecanoe Valley the summer of 1963 after graduating from Talma High School when she was hired to work in the superintendent’s office. In fall 1963, the school at Talma became a junior high and she was hired as the secretary/treasurer under Principal Marion Acton.

Murphy worked at Talma Junior High four years until giving birth to her daughter, April, in July 1967. She lived in Germany for a year and was a stay-at-home mom for nine years before returning to the TVSC as treasurer at Tippecanoe Valley High School under Principal Forst Dunnuck. She worked at TVHS until 1982 when she moved to the central office to work as deputy treasurer under Superintendent Baxter Paige.

Akron Elementary special needs teacher Kay Garrett is retiring after 31 in education, the last 12 with Valley.

Holding multiple special education certifications has allowed Garrett the opportunity to teach children in wide variety of positions at Argos Junior/Senior High School, Peru Junior High School, Warsaw Middle School, Warsaw Community High School, Rochester Middle School, Rochester High School, Tippecanoe Valley Middle School and Akron Elementary School.

Pam McFarland, fourth-grade teacher at Akron Elementary, is ending her 33-year career in teaching, the final 28 years at Akron.

She began her teaching career in the East Allen County Schools at Woodburn Elementary where she taught for five years. McFarland worked for Indiana University, supervising student teachers and graduate students in I.U.’s reading clinic. She also helped start the Beaver Dam Preschool before being hired by Principal Dan Kramer to teach kindergarten at Akron School. That year of teaching kindergarten was followed by 27 years of teaching fourth grade.

McFarland told the board, “I want to thank Mark Wise for coming in and helping me teach math this year. He was a buddy with one of my students this year. It was great to have him come in.”

Wise, the board president, said he was impressed by McFarland in the classroom.

She said teaching “has been a joy.”

The board also recognized:

Middle School Assistant Principal Jeff France is retiring with 27 years in education, the past 18-1/2 as an administrator at Valley.

Lora Harp, Mentone Elementary school counselor, is finishing a 35-year career in education that started at an alternative school in Muncie where she taught English for four years.

Speech and language pathologist Susie Kinney, Mentone Elementary, is retiring after 38 years in education, 35 at Valley.

Principal Earl Richter, TVMS, is retiring after 36 years in education, having served as principal of TVMS since the start of the 2000-2001 school year.

Special needs teacher Peggy Schuldt, TVMS, is retiring after 39 years in education.

Mentone Elementary fifth-grade teacher Rebecca Smith is retiring after 38 years in education.

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