Staff Members Soar Into Retirement
Staley original teacher Carol Toney, who has been the gifted resource specialist since the school opened in 2008, recalled how the opening day was exciting.
“The very first day, we did a ribbon cutting and the Falcon parachute group came in,” Toney said. “Everybody was just so excited.”
She also said she tried to uplift students during COVID.
“We would just kind of get together to do Kahoots with them and mail them movie candy,” Toney said. “It was super fun memories for a yucky time.”
Toney said that it was predestined that she became a teacher due to her family history.
“I love kids, and my grandmother was a teacher,” Toney said. “My mother was a teacher, and now I’m a teacher, so it just kind of is in the family, the family line. “
After her retirement, Toney said she wanted to spend more time with her family.
“I want to be able to travel and go visit my daughter in college,” Toney said. “My son’s graduating from college, and he’s gonna move home, so I’m going to spend more time with him, and my husband.”
Math teacher and volleyball coach Ken Corum, Ed.D., who has been teaching at the school for 14 years in the math department, said he initially wanted to work in education to pay it forward to future generations.
“I really enjoyed the time that I had in high school so much that I wanted to give back and make sure that others had the same level of experience and excitement I had about school that I had when I went through it myself,” Corum said.
Corum also recalled how at the beginning of his time at the school, the smaller school environment made it possible to enjoy gatherings more often.
“When I first got here, we all left our classrooms and went and lunched together — from all different departments, and that was really, really fun,” Corum said.
Chris Neff has been at the school for ten years as a math teacher, assistant principal, activities director and physical education teacher and said his proudest success was working with math students who took two classes in one year.
“Quite a few of them made it to calculus by the time they were seniors,” Neff said. “That was a huge success.”
For him, the job was always about impact.
“If you weren’t having a good day, maybe I could affect your day positively and make it something that got a little bit better,” Neff said.
He wanted to be remembered as, “Someone that always had a good day.”
For math teacher Barbara Madden, getting to enjoy everyday classes was what she looked forward to.
“Just enjoying the camaraderie of my colleagues and interacting with students who were curious learners,” Madden said.
The most important part she said was getting to see students exceed expectations.
“I loved seeing students who statistically probably should not have been successful go on to do some really cool things,” Madden said.
Madden also shared how even though being a teacher can be difficult, it is a rewarding job.
“It was sometimes great, sometimes stressful, sometimes sad, but overall extremely rewarding,” Madden said.
Madden’s favorite memories at the school are the ones showcasing Staley Pride.
“I enjoyed homecoming, games, art shows, plays,” Madden said. “I have absolutely loved seeing the students have fun and excel in their creativity.”
She wanted her legacy to be, “Just being positive; supporting the underdog.”
Administrative assistant Kate Strahl, a Staley original staff member, said the school is a place for family memories.
“Both my kids went there,” Strahl said. “That was neat to be at the same school they were at.”
She also recalled the excitement of opening the school.
“Everyone was so happy and excited; we all just knew we were part of something really great,” Strahl said.
Strahl also said her son created “The Flock,” and she was proud that her son was an important part in school history and tradition.
She hoped her legacy was being “a consistent, reliable, friendly face.”
Tammy Slauson has been a part of the school for 15 years.
“This is my fifteenth year at Staley and my 23rd year in the district,” Slauson said. “I was a job coach for about seven months before I became a SCRS or Social Worker, and that has been my only job since.”
This summer in her retirement, she planned to relax.
“I’m also going to Disney and Universal Studios with my best friend this summer, as well as taking a trip to Italy and Greece,” Slauson said.
Slauson said she had an idea for what she wanted her legacy to be.
“As someone who truly cared about each and every person,” Slauson said.
Heading toward his second retirement, PE teacher Greg Oder said the people were what impacted him.
“The people here are awesome. Really nice people,” Oder said.
In his retirement Oder wanted to spend more time with his family.
“I’m seeing my kids more. We have a daughter that lives in New York, and one of them in Denver. So we’re spread out right now. It’d be nice to be able to get out and see them.”
In his retirement, Oder said that he wanted to keep in contact with people form Staley
“I just hope that I still keep in contact with the people,” Oder said.
Updated May 14
Attendance office clerk Jeanine Felten, a Staley original staff member, was a late addition to the retirement group. Her retirement was a surprise announcement May 12 during the retirement banquet for the other seven retiring staff members. Technology Clerk Nina Taylor spoke on Felten’s behalf at the banquet.
*2023 file photo by Landyn Goldberg
