Karin Villarreal retiring after 32 years with MCS, one of five longtime staff members retiring
Karin Villarreal in 2023. Villarreal was the longterm curator of the Klager Veterans Wall, celebrating the veterans in our community. Mirror file photo courtesy of Heather Stommen.
submitted by Katie Altherr, Riverside Intermediate, Office Secretary
Manchester Community Schools is proudly honoring five longtime staff members whose combined 154 years of service have left a lasting impact on the district and community. This year’s retirees include Mrs. Laura Neal, Mrs. Karin Villarreal, Mr. Bryan Barnard, Mr. Ron Tindall, and Mr. John Wilkins.
Mrs. Laura Neal retires after 29 years of service to the district, Mrs. Karin Villarreal 32-years, Mr. Bryan Barnard 28 years, Mr. Ron Tindall 29-years, and Mr. John Wilkins retires after 36 years of service to the district.
School officials expressed appreciation for the retirees’ unwavering dedication and commitment to the Manchester community and celebrate the extraordinary careers and lasting influence of these five individuals. Their contributions will continue to be felt for years to come, and their presence will be greatly missed.
All of the retirees were invited to reflect on their MCS journey. Karin Villarreal who has served in multiple roles in the district, including two years as Klager Elementary principal decided to take us up on the offer.
by Karin Villarreal
The dates may be a bit fuzzy, but the experiences are forever saved for a lifetime of memories filled with tears, laughter, and appreciation.
My teaching journey began in the fall of 1988 when I had the opportunity to student teach with Susan Edigar in second grade. She was an amazing mentor who allowed me to try things, learn from mistakes, and create a desire to do what is best for the students.
The next four years found me setting a foundation as an advocate and teacher for the Manchester Migrant Program under the direction of Cheryl Call. I started as a classroom paraprofessional in the summer program. I spent the majority of my summers teaching in the six-week program and night school to the hardest-working students I have ever met, and I spent a few summers as the summer director. I made lifelong friendships and even met my husband.
The first four years also allowed me to teach the Developmental Kindergarten program. I started at Ackerson and later moved to Pleasant Lake. So much fun and learning happened, even without rest time.
In 1994, my life was forever changed when I was offered the opportunity to teach second grade at Luther C. Klager Elementary. I was hired alongside Laura Spensley, Pat Merrill, and six other MCS teachers. Laura and I went on to teach together in a first and second-grade classroom for ten years. Over those ten years, we tried so many amazing strategies to support students, and I know that working with a strong partner changed who I was and what I wanted to become. I was also able to marry, start a family, and find absolute joy in teaching.
When the teamroom changed, and I went back to teaching “just second grade,” I was welcomed into the sunshine of my soon-to-be new partner in crime, Heather Stommen’s world. We were able to share special moments with our students and had a bit of a competition when it came to celebrating the success of students at graduation. We were able to loop with our second graders to third grade twice.
I left second grade for a two-year interim stint as the Principal of Klager for the 2015-2017 school years. I then returned to the classroom for three years before taking on the challenge of Klager Principal and the Manchester Early Childhood Center Director. I started the journey by reopening the daycare center after the COVID closure and recreating a normal routine for the return of students after virtual learning. Those years were rewarding and filled with moments of joy! Working with Regina Hopkins created a strong partnership of kindness and respect, and made moving away from administration hard. I was forced to make some hard decisions when health issues changed my stamina and mindset.
I was so lucky to be able to return to the classroom, to my old favorite second grade, and spend my final years working with some of the most amazing and supportive colleagues. I was able to work with Heather Stommen until her retirement and then with Nolan Peterson, and so many others. I have always said and will forever believe that teachers can not survive as silos, and instead should find a partner or team of amazing people to teach with. My last years were forever shaped by Nolan, Heather, Erica Finnegan, Shelby Chartrand, and Theresa Herron.
There are so many amazing people that I did not mention as I speak of my journey, and please know that everyone I have worked with has created a lasting memory, experiences to treasure, and student interactions that will forever be remembered.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my years volunteering with the Manchester Community School Foundation and the Manchester Community Fair.
The best part of teaching truly is seeing your students succeed and become amazing adults. I am forever lucky to say that some of my students eventually came to teach beside me or share their own children in my classroom.
Good luck Karin, Laura, Bryan, Ron and John with your next adventure in life!
You must be logged in to post a comment Login