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The End

Thank you for a great year!

--The Victor Voice Staff, 2014

VHS Retirees: Full Interviews

Dave Condon, History

(33 years of service)

Q. Why are you retiring?

A.  I’m retiring because I feel like I’ve had a wonderful career, and I want to go out when people still want me to stay; I’m ready for a change.

Q. How long have you worked at Victor/ been a teacher?

A.  I’ve been at Victor since 1982. I taught in Red Creek for a year in 1980, then I was out of the classroom for a year, missed it desperately, and I was lucky enough to get hired here and I’ve been here ever since.

Q. Why did you become a teacher?

A. Ironically I was struggling as a high school student; someone suggested to me that they thought I would be a good teacher, and I hadn’t ever really thought about it before. I didn’t have a lot of parental guidance at the time; I liked the atmosphere of school, so I thought I could be a good teacher.

Q. What will you miss the most about teaching?

A. It’s so hard to quantify, because you have so many students and so many great memories, whether it’s through extra curriculars, athletics, in the classroom. Seeing a light bulb turn on when a kid gets something, and seeing a kid getting excited about something that they just learned [are some of my favorite moments].

Q. What advice do you have for younger teachers?

A. You need to roll with the initiatives; they’re going to come and they're going to go. Stay focused on the prize; you either have a passion for teaching or you don’t, and if you do, 30 years will fly, and if you don’t, find something else to do.

Q. What do you plan to do in retirement?

A. [My wife and I] will probably plan a trip in the winter, [so] we can go when it’s a little cheaper. There’s a lot of places that I want to see here in the states again. I think my three biggest bucket list items for travel would be to get to Ireland, get to Alaska, and then get back to the Caribbean. I’m excited about the change.

Q. What do you want to be remembered for?

A. [I hoped to be remembered as] somebody who worked hard and gave his best everyday, and tried to make a difference with kids. What else can you ask for?

Elizabeth Thomas, English

(32 years of service)

Q.  Why did you become a teacher?

A.  I love kids.

Q.  What will you miss the most?

A.  The people, the kids, and my colleagues.

Q.  Why are you retiring?

A.  It's time; it’s getting to the point where I can’t keep up.

Q.  What was your favorite memory here at Victor?

A.  Theater productions, Victor Cares Carnival, Leadership class, teaching sophomores.

Another really poignant memory would be when 22 students and I drove to Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina to clean up, for me that was a life changing event and that’s why I got involved with the Red Cross.

Q.  What is your favorite part about Victor?

A.  The people.  We're so blessed because we have such a great community; the students are wonderful, [and we have a]beautiful campus.

Q.  What are you going to do during retirement?

A.  Babysitting my one-year-old grandson while my daughter goes back to go get her RN. [I am also] working for the Red Cross; I am apart of their disaster team. I am the secretary for the Victor Food Cupboard. My hobby is [riding] horses so I’m going to horse around while in retirement.

Q.  Any traveling plans?

A.  I’m going to Nova Scotia this fall.

Q.  Do you think you will still be involved with school activities?

A.  Absolutely.  I’m going to come back and help out with Leadership.

Q.  Any advice for other teachers?

A.  Love your kids.

Q.  How would you like to be remembered?

A.  As a teacher who loves her job.

Jerry Polito, Maintenance 

12 years of service

Q. Why did you retire?

A. I retired because I reached retirement age and because the school was getting too big!

Q. Why did you choose this job?

A. I chose my job as custodian because of living near the school, the fast

pace and varied tasks required of the job, and I like working with the public.

Q. What will you miss the most? 

A. I will miss all the student and staff friends I have made the past 12 years.

Q. What advice do you have for the younger hires?

A. My advice to new hires is to work hard and to help students, staff and visitors when asked. Everyone likes good service.

Q. What do you plan to do in retirement?

A. My passion is fishing, so I will be doing a lot of that in retirement, but I also became a sub in the school cafeterias to give me something to do in the winter.

Q. What do you want to be remembered for?

A. I would like to be remembered for having a great sense of humor, and for always helping students, staff and visitors when asked, even on my lunch hour, because I always felt it was a big part of working at Victor.

Claire Silvernail, English

(24 years of service)

Q. How long have you worked at VHS?
A. I started in the late 80s as a substitute teacher, in 1991. About 24 years ago, I started as a computer lab teacher, and I taught word processing and writing.

Q. What will you miss the most?
A. I know it sounds very cliché to say, but I will have to say the kids, helping students learn, and my colleagues, because for all teachers retiring that is what you miss.  Also teaching my favorite pieces of literature.
Q. What are you going to do after retirement?
A. I plan on doing all the things I couldn’t do while I’m teaching. I plan on going to visit my new granddaughter in Texas, and visit some family in NYC.

Q. Why are you retiring?
A. I think it’s time to start the next phase of my life and I feel the next phase is to start having time for myself, while I’m still healthy to do it.
Q. What’s your favorite memory?
A. I think it would be the graduations, from when I was advisor. I was class advisor in ’95, ’09, ’13. Having to say goodbye to all the kids was a very proud moment; it’s always very emotional.

Q. What made you want to become a teacher?
A. I knew that I wanted to be a teacher from a very young age. I had some teachers early in my education that gave me the desire to teach.

Q. What’s the best part about Victor to you?
A.  I know it’s growing, but it’s still small enough that you feel the closeness; friends feel connected. When I graduated with 1,000 kids, it wasn’t much of a community.

Q. Do you think you’ll still be involved in school activities?
A. I do live in Victor, so I do plan on still attending musicals, plays, games, etc.

Q. Are you planning on traveling anywhere after retirement?
A.  I really want to go back to Europe.  I have never been to England and I have always wanted to visit, and a cruise.  If I could even go on a cruise to nowhere I would enjoy it.

Dr. Romagnano, Science

(19 years of service)

Q. Why did you become a teacher in the first place?

A. Honestly, I fell into it. I used to do research at the U of R in the Neuroscience Department. Then they had me teach a course, and I ended up liking it more than research, so I changed.

Q. What will you miss the most?

A. I will miss the students and the atmosphere; Victor is just a very nice school, one I feel very comfortable in. But mostly I will miss the students here and how they perform really well. You can tell they want to do well and they work towards that goal.

Q. What would you like to be remembered for?

A. My consistency over the years and my organization.

Q. So I know that your son just had a child; did you decide to retire this year because of your new occupation as a Grandmother?

A. No, I was planning on retiring anyway; my son having a baby is just a happy coincidence. It will be really nice, however, that I get to spend a lot of time with the baby now! 

Q. Do you have any other plans for retirement?

A. As of right now, just being able to relax and do whatever I want to at that moment. The future rests in what I will feel like doing once that time comes.

Peggy Schleueter, Secretary

(10 years of service)

Q. What has your job consisted of over the past 10 years?

A. I have overseen over 40 clubs between the Junior High and the Senior High. Each day, I would balance all of the [financial accounts] for the entire school, and check with auditors to make sure everything checked out. I also scheduled Mrs. Goodell’s appointments and any obligations (overdue textbooks). I also numbered all the new textbooks when they came in. In the mornings, I worked at the welcome desk at the Main Office, and helped any student with bus passes or parking passes. I guided the incoming subs to where their room assignments are and answered any questions they had.

Q. Why did you pursue this career?

A. I wanted to get into secretarial work since I was in high school. I worked in a Kodak research lab as my first job. Then I worked in banks for many years.

Q. What are you planning to do during retirement?

A. It’s bittersweet. I’m sad to go, but I need to move on to the next stage of my life. My son is getting married, and  [there are] a lot of exciting plans for the future. I want to rent a condo or something, enjoy free time,  [and] catch up on books. I do plan on subbing in the district. Maybe start some renovations to our home. I love to cook so maybe I will try out some new recipes.

Q. What is your fondest memory of working at VCS?

A. Going on the NYC trip last year [with the] Class of 2013. I hadn’t been to NYC in 45 years, and it was just like the first time. The 9/11 memorial was so powerful.

Q. What are you going to miss the most?

A. The interaction with the students. [Working here has] been a rewarding experience [working here].

Q. Any advice you’d like to give to future secretaries?

A. They need to be structured, flexible, and able to manage multiple things. And they have to love money!!! It’s also necessary to be very patient.