Thank you to our Chenango Valley retirees for your care and dedication to help our Warriors succeed! You have truly made an impact in our school community and will be missed! We wish you all the best in your future endeavors!
CONGRATS RETIREES: Oudomsack Arounsavath, Philip Brooks, Anne Carter, Deborah Cortese, Christine Cox, Lorraine DeBellis, Karen Dupre, Kathy Harlost, Nancy Hart, Terry Joy, Karl Krause, Theresa Lucas, Karen Mullins, Susan Murdock, Yves Paultre, James Scouten, Karen Shelepak, Hoa Tang, Joanne Taylor, Diane Vidulich, Mary Walsh, Anne Waymire
Below is information and photos we received regarding our wonderful retirees. We will share any additional information/photos as they are received.
Anne Carter
How many years have you worked at the Chenango Valley Central School District? I have worked for CV for 18 years.
What positions have you held at CV? Teachers aide in Pre-k to 2nd and in the computer lab.
What makes you proud to be a Warrior? I am proud to have worked for CV. The staff at Port Dickinson have been like a second family to me. I will miss them all!
Lorraine DeBellis
How many years have you worked at the Chenango Valley Central School District? I have been teaching at CV for 32 years.
What positions have you held at CV? I was a 5th grade teacher from 1989-1990, then I taught 1st grade from 1990-2021.
What makes you proud to be a Warrior? I am proud that my career has extended long enough that I've had the opportunity to teach the children of my previous 1st grade students.Any words of wisdom that you would like to share and/or what are your future goals/plans?
- My words of wisdom are: "When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life that you have a thousand reasons to SMILE!"
- My future goals are to travel, have lots of beach time, bicycle the Great Allegheny Passage, and read.
Karen Dupre
"Chenango Valley holds so many wonderful memories of teaching here over 30 years. At the beginning and end of my career, I taught in the High School and in the elementary schools as a Special Education and Consultant Teacher. Memories of many years of being the Science Lab Teacher at Chenango Bridge were especially meaningful, as we participated in a variety of NASA and Cornell University projects, BCC & CB Science Fairs, and exciting hands-on experiments every day in the Lab. My years as a Second and Third Grade Teacher at Port Dickinson were wonderful, with treasured memories of the students and their families, with such a variety of activities, lessons, and celebrations throughout the year. Throughout all of these experiences, the wonderful families, teachers, administrators, and staff members have reflected the fantastic atmosphere here at Chenango Valley. CV Warriors are definitely thoughtful, energetic, talented individuals!
Just a note about our future plans… my husband and I plan on travelling with our children and grandchildren, so that they can continue to build wonderful family memories. Growing up in Colorado with a Mom and Dad who loved the outdoors, had the wonderful effect of building strong family memories of hiking, exploring, fishing, boating, climbing, and (my favorite) horseback riding, together. As Dad always reminded us… Always do your Best; Take Care of each other; and Always treat others as you would like to be treated. Best Wishes, CV Warriors!"
Kathy Harlost
"I have been a Teacher Aide for 17 years for grades 4, 5, and 6. I have enjoyed working with the children and staff at the Chenango Bridge Elementary School all these years. My future goals are to sub in the fall, learn to play the keyboard, and enjoy time with my family at Cayuga Lake. My hope is that in the next school year everything will be back to normal. Go Warriors!!!"
Karl Krause
"I was hired in 1994 as a secondary business teacher. I have taught in all three levels of the CV school district retiring at the middle school level. In my first 17 years I was primarily teaching in the high school. At that time personal computers were just becoming available and the BOE felt there needed to be a focus on computer education. That first year I was teaching seniors personal keyboarding using electric typewriters and computer application skills using a program called “First Choice”. Microsoft products weren’t available at that time. Over the years the business department had to transition from learning DOS to Windows 3, 95, 98, ME, 2000, XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, and 10. We had to switch computer application software from First Choice to MS 95, 97, 2000, XP, 2003, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016 and now to Office 365 and Google products. I was the first teacher to teach students remotely using television cameras to broadcast my advanced accounting class to two other schools at the same time. I did that for three years and the program was discontinued. How interesting that education did a complete circle on remote learning twenty some years later.
What I am most proud to be a Warrior are the new programs, courses and opportunities I created for my students to experience and to inspire them to a new career pathway. In my business law class I added field trips to the Broome County Jail, Elmira State Prison, and the Federal Court house. Each of those are excellent examples of educational experiences you won’t find in a book. Two of my former students are now lawyers. I created an ecommerce class where students earned money selling unwanted items on EBAY. It was a huge success and was featured on a local television news story on Classroom of the Day series. I was asked to start a student store in the high school with no resources or stipend. It grew to annual sales close to $10,000. The profits were used for an annual trip to NYC, scholarships for seniors, varsity wrestling warm ups, head gears for the modified program, and a sounding board for the music department to mention a few. Some highlights of our NYC trips were: standing on the top of Tower 1 (twin towers), walking on the trading floor of the NY Stock Exchange, riding the subway trains, Staten Island Ferry, Chinatown, and many other destinations in Manhattan. It was always nice to hear from my students, “I have never been to NYC before.”
I was able to coach modified wrestling for eight years and had a number of undefeated and STAC champs over that time. What I enjoyed best about coaching was the relationship you built outside the classroom with these kids. That relationship never dies and becomes a fond memory for them and for me. The kids learned a lot more than just wrestling moves. They learned it takes dedication and hard work to succeed. When you see an inexperienced wrestler win their first match it makes you glow with pride.
In 2010 my only children were both deployed to Afghanistan in combat zones. I was officiating and I observed a few schools had displays of current and former students serving in the military. We didn’t have anything like it at CV, so I asked if I could have a display case and was granted permission to do so. It was a task that I owed to all of those students who were risking their lives for us back home. We had a special night for a public opening where dozens of CV military families showed up to watch the unveiling. I also reached out to elementary teachers and asked if they would like to send Thanksgiving and Christmas cards to soldiers serving in my son’s unit. The outpouring from those kids led to a district wide Veteran’s Appreciation Night for the general public. When my sons came home safely, I realized how fortunate I was, but there were other families that were not. I decided to dedicate the other half of the display case for those CV students who were killed in action while serving in the military. A few years ago I was involved with the process of obtaining and awarding a high school diploma for the family of Roger Jones. Roger was killed in Vietnam and left high school before graduating. Giving that diploma to his family was an emotional night not to be forgotten. I am proud that this display case will remain long after I retire.
About ten years ago I starting the HS Business club and out of that we created the annual Dodgeball team championships, Wreaths Across America, trips to NYC, scholarships for seniors and the annual Halloween Spooktacular for elementary students. We also collaborated with elementary classes who wrote letters to Santa. My students would help them to get answers. It was a tradition that was done for many years creating fond memories for teachers and students.
The advice I give to you is the same advice my father was given by his Superintendent in 1959 when he was hired as a teacher. His words were, There is no such thing as a bad student. I have to agree that those words are still true today. Even with those difficult students there is something there to reach. I think it is important to coach a sport or run a club. You need to establish a relationship with students outside of the classroom. It will make the school year more enjoyable and will give you fond memories of those you were able to reach. I also stress the importance of investing in yourself. Take graduate classes to give yourself opportunities outside the classroom. You will need another source of retirement income other than just your NYSTRS pension, so open a Roth IRA and make the maximum contribution each year. Invest it in a fund that mirrors the SP500 index. You will be surprised to how large it will grow tax free over 30 or more years.
My plans for retirement are short lived for now. I have two beautiful grandchildren living in Chenango Bridge, so I intend to be spending more time with them. I have taken a leadership role in my church, so I look forward in using my business skills in making improvements. My wife, Peggy and I love to travel to the Caribbean, so our first trip is to Curacao in July. I enjoy home improvement projects, so there is always something to do around the house. There is also more free time to golf and to take walks with my wife in the country. Twenty seven years at CV have passed by quickly. I will be forever grateful to Dr. Grenis who hired me in 1994.
As I look back in time to my favorite teachers I have come to appreciate what they have shared with me. The knowledge they shared has helped shape me into who I am today. Their memory will be forever etched in my heart. I will always be grateful I was given the opportunity to improve the life of a child. Best of luck to all my colleagues. Your time will come before you know it."
Karen Mullins
How many years have you worked at the Chenango Valley Central School District? 31 years at CV
What positions have you held at CV? 17 years as a Middle School Counselor, 14 years as a high school counselor
What makes you proud to be a Warrior? The close-knit community, and the wonderful people I have met and worked with over the years.
Any words of wisdom that you would like to share and/or what are your future goals/plans?
- Words of wisdom – Enjoy the busy crazy times running with your children. You will miss those days!
- Future plans – Travel, spending more time with my 2 grandsons - helping out when needed, home improvement projects that we have put on hold and relaxing and enjoying my hobbies - walking, biking and hiking during the day instead of trying to fit them in after work.
Susan Murdock
How many years have you worked at the Chenango Valley Central School District? I have worked for Chenango Valley for 20 years.
What positions have you held at CV?
- Pre-K
- First Grade
- Third Grade
What makes you proud to be a Warrior? To work beside the most caring, hardworking, dedicated, and professional faculty and staff makes me very proud to be a Warrior.
Any words of wisdom that you would like to share and/or what are your future goals/plans?
- My future goals are to travel, relocate to the Gulf Coast, and bake sweet treats.
- Words of wisdom… Live every day every possible way, spend time with family and friends, and live your best life.
Yves Paultre
James Scouten
Karen Shelepak
How many years have you worked at the Chenango Valley Central School District? I have worked at CV for 32 years. (I did teach 3 years prior at SV so 35 years total in education.)
What positions have you held at CV? At CV, I first taught 6th grade for one year at Hillcrest School, then I taught 20 years in 1st grade and lastly it has been 11 years teaching 2nd grade.
What makes you proud to be a Warrior? I feel very fortunate to have worked with so many wonderful students and their families the past 32 years at CV. It’s great to see all that they have accomplished during and after their time at CV. I’m so proud to have been part of those successes!
Any words of wisdom that you would like to share and/or what are your future goals/plans? I will always remember my time here at CV and the staff that I was fortunate to work with over the years. I hope I was able to help others like many helped me when I first started. My years in education have really flown by but I do now look forward to some flexibility to travel & visit new places anytime I want. Thanks for the memories and I wish all of you the best!
Joanne Taylor
How many years have you worked at the Chenango Valley Central School District? I've been here for 28 years.
What positions have you held at CV? I've worked as a playground attendant, teacher aide Pre-K - 3rd grade, and teacher registry for 10 years.
Any words of wisdom that you would like to share and/or what are your future goals/plans? Wisdom is your smile or hug you give a child may be the only one they get that day. Accept every child for who they are. It's been a great 28 years at Port Dickinson Elementary.