TRANSI T IONS Stellar Teachers Bid Farewell
BONNIE STANKE Bonnie and her husband, Roger, took the red-eye f light on June 30 to their new apartment in Jersey City, New Jersey. Although she loves Portland and loves teaching, Bonnie wants to be nearer her grandchildren in Jersey City and Paris, France. She already has her weekly schedule planned: one day taking care of the baby, one day exploring Manhattan, and three days volunteering in a school or hospital. Of course, she also is plan- ning regular visits to France. During her 28 years at OES, Bonnie has been a
counselor and has taught English and humanities. She has appreciated the fun and creative students she has known over the years, and she knows she will miss her fellow teachers. “I’ll miss my colleagues a lot,” she said. “The
faculty is committed to teaching and to a value system that I tie into. They are fun and funny and smart, and they have integrity.”
ALICE SIMPSON Alice has been at OES for 20 years, and for 20 years prior to coming here she was involved with children as a teacher and as the director of the Metropolitan Youth Commission. She says it took her a while to find her perfect niche in teaching. “I started with preschool, then elementary, then
high school and then college, and finally worked my way up to eighth-graders, who are the most difficult and most lovable,” she said. Alice liked to learn from her students as well as teach them, especially in the realm of computers, which they knew more about than she did. She says that on balance, “I taught them 60 percent and they taught me 40 percent.” She is looking forward to traveling with her
husband, John Hammond, and to studying whatever she wants without any pressure to get good grades.
ELAINE BARTSCH As an art teacher, Elaine has stressed that while some students may be better at art, anyone can learn to create.
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“Art is not only for the talented or those with a
special gift,” she said. “When you build the skills, creativity starts to bubble out.” Her strategy for building students’ confidence
is to individualize her program so students can learn and be successful at whatever level they are on. She used that approach during 20 years of teaching in Sherwood and during the 13 years she has taught art and ceramics at OES. “I love teaching; it’s who I am,” she said. “I
totally enjoy the kids and want to help them see their potential. They have such tremendous creativity and energy.” In retirement, she and her husband, Philip,
plan to travel, and Elaine will have more time to pursue her own art.
CAROL RANDELL Field trips tend to be more fun for the students than for the teachers trying to keep track of them, but that’s not the case with Carol. Her favorite part of teaching is going on trips to the OES wetlands and to Camp Magruder. She finds fourth-graders to be the most fun age to teach. “I like their enthusiasm,” she said. “They have
the basics in place and can use those to learn more. I love when somebody learns something new, how exciting that is.” Carol’s husband, Ned, retired five years ago,
and she is ready to join him after six years at OES and 27 years of teaching in Salt Lake City. However, she doesn’t plan to give up field trips. She says she will go hiking and spend a lot of time at the beach.
Retiring from OES are, from left, Elaine Bartsch, Bonnie Stanke, Alice Simpson, and Carol Randell.
“The students here are remarkable. They have an ethical way of looking at life. They are fun and creative.”
—Bonnie Stanke
“The way I work with students is I listen to them, respect them, and love them.”
—Alice Simpson
“Every year is different, every class is different, every kid is different.”
—Elaine Bartsch
“I have loved working with families who care so much. The parents and the kids really care, and everybody wants to succeed.”
—Carol Randell
SUMMER 2010 OES MAGAZINE
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