Eleven Teachers Retiring

This is the last year for 11 teachers from the Crescenta Valley area’s schools. These teachers combined represent more than 314 years of service to the Glendale school district.

“I think we can say it has really been a gift to the students that these wonderful teachers have invested their lives for our students,” Crescenta Valley High School Principal Linda Evans said. Five teachers are retiring from CVHS.

The teachers are retiring for various reasons. Some want to travel while others would like to just stay home and sleep in. Still others want to have time to spend with offspring.

“I have been coaching for 33 years and teaching for 35,” said John Goffredo, CVHS health teacher and former basketball coach. “I am going to Harvard next year to see my son’s basketball games.”

His son, Jim, just completed his junior year at Harvard University. Jim plays on the basketball team as a guard. The teacher has been flying back and forth from California to Harvard for the games. Now he can spend some time with his son. Goffredo has been teaching at CVHS for 22 years of his 35-year career.

There are a couple of things he’ll miss. “I like being around the kids, and the friendships I have made here are incredible.”

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CV math teacher Susan McBride agrees.

“I will really miss CV fellow teachers,” McBride said. She plans on doing things she has never had time to do at her home, such as spending time doing her favorite hobbies ? gardening, crocheting and square dancing.

She will also miss her students, especially, she said, those who really want to learn.

Rosemont Middle School English teacher Carol Skinner felt this was just the right time to retire. She doesn’t have any set plans, except maybe to travel, but simply felt it was time to go on to the next phase of life. Skinner and fellow Rosemont teacher Ellen Reynolds have a combined 66 years of service. Like many of the retiring teachers, they have become institutions at their schools.

“We are losing two of our finest teachers,” said Ron Sowers, assistant principal of Rosemont. “Miss Skinner gave unselfishly of her time. Her door was always open to her students. Her students would say she was very demanding, but they learned so much from her. When kids come out of her class, they really know how to write.”

Reynolds has been a math teacher for 31 years. She taught the Rosemont advanced math summer school.

“That is probably one of the best math classes kids can take,” Reynolds said.

She enjoyed teaching the course because of the students’ eagerness to learn. She will miss those students as well as the teachers she has taught alongside for so many years.

“Mrs. Reynolds is an excellent math teacher. She demands the best from her kids and has taught all levels of math,” Sowers said. “Both will be missed. The were a integral part of the staff. It will be different not having them here.”

In addition to the retiring teachers, the Crescenta Valley area will also see three classified employees retire with service of a combined of more than 74 years.

Retiring teachers from CVHS include Odette Cohen, Goffredo, Gary Keyes, McBride and Sue Mohr. Ira West is the only retiring teacher from Clark Magnet High School. Retiring from Rosemont are Skinner and Reynolds. In the elementary schools, Fremont says goodbye to Laurel Appleton, Mountain Avenue bids farewell to Carolyn Bowman and Kay Denson is retiring from Dunsmore. Classified employees retiring from CVHS are Elin Mrozek and Sandra Ramirez. Retiring from the office at Clark is Judy Pfau. cnws-retired0616.jpg-BPhotoInfoM71S1J0120060616j0xabvncPhoto by Mary O’Keefe(LA)RETIRING ? Crescenta Valley High School retirees include, from left, French and foreign language teacher Odette Cohen, math teacher Susan McBride, health teacher John Goffredo, Spanish teacher Sue Mohr, social science teacher Gary Keyes and classified employee Elin Mrozek.