Ten Sartell-St. Stephen School District teachers and staff have retired upon completion of the year’s school year. They are Laurie Allen, Karen Kuschl, Daniel McLean, Jean Muntifering, Mitze Olson, MaryJo Peckskamp, Gary Putz, John Rausch, Julie Tripp and Anna Mae Trobec. The district administration and fellow co-workers would like to thank these retirees for their many years of service to the district and the impact each has made. “Congratulations on retirement and we wish you well on your next adventures in life.”
Laurie Allen
Allen has been a teacher in the Sartell-St. Stephen School District since 1989. During her 26 years in the district, she has served as a Kindergarten, third- and fourth-grade teacher. She also spent some time as a part-time English-as-a-Second-Language Teacher. Allen had the opportunity to be the teacher of all four of her grandsons. She will also remember teaching Kindergarten in the Sartell Mall in the old Floral and Gifts property with Jane Barton during some of the growing pains of the district. Allen said it has been a true joy to work in the district with her children and many of her grandchildren having the opportunity to obtain a high-quality education from top-notch educators. She says she is looking forward to working out (but not having to wake up at 4:45 a.m. to make that happen,) traveling, volunteering, enjoying life without time-frames and new adventures not yet discovered.
Karen Kuschel
Kuschel has worked in the district’s food service department since 2003 as a dishwasher. She said she has enjoyed working with all of the staff throughout the years and appreciates the children who have wonderful manners and take the time to say “Hi” and “Have a nice day.” She said she will miss the great group of people she got to work with at Pine Meadow Elementary. Kuschel said she plans to continue providing daycare for her grandchildren. She will also be biking, gardening, camping, fishing and having fun outside during the warmer months. In the winter, sewing, knitting and organizing will keep her busy.
Daniel McLean
McLean has been teaching in the district since 1986. He has taught fourth grade during his 29 years and has also coached junior high basketball and was head golf coach. He also helped with flag football and volleyball at Sartell Middle School. McLean was president of the Sartell Education Association for six years and helped negotiate a number of contracts. He said he will remember the people who have gone out of their way to make this a great place to spend a career. He said he has many memories to cherish and values all of the individuals he has worked with which will always be the fondest memories. McLean said he considers himself truly blessed and lucky to do something he loves and work with such amazing people. He plans to travel to see his family who now live across the country in Minneapolis, Chicago and Houston – where his one and only grandson lives. He and his wife also own a home in Texas which, he said, will make the winters quite a bit easier to tolerate. Fishing is more than a passion for McLean and he said he plans to feed that passion every chance he gets along with finding time to volunteer to put his talents to use.
Jean Muntifering
Muntifering has been a teacher in the Sartell-St. Stephen School District since 1987. She taught fourth grade for two years and second grade for 26 years. She said she will remember all of the wonderful staff, students and families she has been able to work with throughout the years. Muntifering said she will especially remember the families she got to know quite well because she was fortunate to have all of their children in her classroom. She said she will also remember when her own children, Jeff and Carie, came into the classroom to share their experiences – Jeff as a conservation biologist in Namibia and Carie as a Peace Corps volunteer in Cameroon. Muntifering said she plans to take a trip to Namibia with her husband to visit her son, daughter-in-law and her grandson. She said she also plans to spend time with her family in Minnesota including her daughter, Carie, and her son-in-law, Chris. Traveling, volunteering, enjoying weekends at the lake, rediscovering hobbies and relaxing are on her list. She said she also may be back to do a little substitute teaching, too.
Mitze Olson
Olson has worked in the Sartell-St. Stephen School District since 1988. She started as a substitute teacher from 1985-88. She then taught first grade at St. Stephen Elementary from 1988-90. Then she taught second grade at Sartell Elementary for 10 years. She moved to Pine Meadow Elementary in 2000 where she taught fourth grade for 14 years and spent her last year as a reading interventionist for all students at PME. Olson said she has enjoyed watching the district grow. In 1985 when she moved with her husband to Sartell, the intermediate school had just been completed next to what was the old high school and three additional buildings since that time have been built. She said it was exciting to play a part in the planning of these schools. She also said she will truly miss the wonderful people in the district. During retirement, Olson said she plans to travel, volunteer in her grandchildren’s classrooms, golf and head south for the winter months.
MaryJo Peckskamp
Peckskamp has been teaching in the Sartell-St. Stephen School District since 1981 as a special-education teacher. She said a very special memory for her was when she was able to team up with fellow educator, Joe Perske, to help two students with special needs experience an evening at prom. She said she has enjoyed working with many families and staff throughout the years and she feels privileged and honored for being able to work with each and every one as they are all very unforgettable. During retirement, she is planning to travel, read, garden, bike and cook. She also looks forward to practicing a lesson from her son which is to “be present in the moment.”
Gary Putz
Putz has worked as a teacher in the district since 1978. He has taught second, third, fouth and fifth grade and was in several schools during his career. He said he has enjoyed watching the growth of the district along with the positive support of the community toward education. Putz said he thanks all involved – the administration, the school board, fellow staff members, and parents and students – for helping to create such wonderful memories as an educator in this district during the past 37 years. He said he plans to spend more time with his family and his grandchildren along with continuing to work on another 37 years of marital bliss.
John Rausch
Rausch started in the district in 1987 and was first a long-term substitute teacher in physical education and health. Since that time, he transitioned into being a special-education teacher at Sartell High School for 29 years. He has also coached junior high basketball and football, and was the head baseball coach for 11 years. Rausch said he will always remember the connections he has been able to make with colleagues and students, which he said he knows will last far beyond retirement. He said he feels fortunate to have worked in such a fine school district which has experienced tremendous growth during his time with the district. He said he is looking forward to staying engaged in education by substitute teaching and coaching. He said he also plans to travel and spend lots of time with his wife, children and grandchildren.
Julie Tripp
Tripp started in the Sartell-St. Stephen School District in 1990. She taught fifth-grade language arts for two years and served as a sixth-grade language arts teacher at Sartell Middle School for 13 years. She then became the assistant principal at Sartell Middle School for six years and has been principal there since 2011. Tripp said it has been an honor for her to serve the incredible families, students and staff of the Sartell-St. Stephen School district for the past 25 years. She said she feels very blessed to be able to say her life’s work has truly been a “dream career.” Tripp said she is looking forward to taking some time to reinvent herself, travel, have time to spend with her family and enjoy time at the lake.
Anna Mae Trobec
Trobec has worked in the food service department since 2000. She worked at Pine Meadow Elementary as a cafeteria worked and dish-room helper. Since 2004, she has worked at Oak Ridge Elementary as a dishwasher and kitchen helper. She said she will always remember the students who took the time to say, “Thank you for cleaning our dishes” or would ask her to “Thank the chefs for a good lunch.” Trobec said she will enjoy morning walks without having to watch the time. She said she plans to travel, fish, garden and thoroughly clean the house. She said she also looks forward to joining the grandkids for lunch…when she’s invited.