Retiring Yorkville School District staffers honored

The Yorkville School District 115 School Board honored four retiring employees this week, sending them off with a heartfelt video and plenty of desserts.

Superintendent Tim Shimp bid farewell to the outgoing employees during a meeting Monday, May 24, highlighting their accomplishments and the 84 years of service to the district shared between them.

“We’re very fortunate to have such a dedicated group, a loyal group of educators for our schools,” Shimp said. “I think you’re going to find that they’re the most tireless human beings you’ll ever come across. ... For us, the sense of service and commitment to our district is unparalleled.”

The group of retirees honored Monday night included Debbie Cool, Troy Courtney, Ann Hageman and Cara Kensel. A paraprofessional at the district, Susan Ortega, also is retiring but was not present at the meeting.

An administrative assistant in the district’s human resources department, Cool has worked in Yorkville schools for 23 years.

“I feel very fortunate that we were the founding of the HR department here,” Cool said, calling it one of her favorite memories at the district in a video played Monday night.

Shimp called her someone that “treats people with a tremendous amount of respect and kindness.”

The district’s HR department also is losing its director, Troy Courtney. An employee of the district for eight years, Shimp called Courtney a “father figure” for the district and commended his work with the district’s union. In the video, Courtney said bringing greater automation to the district was his top accomplishment. He hopes to spend his retirement exploring the Rocky Mountains on a motorcycle and keeping up with his love of woodworking.

Retiree Ann Hageman has worked as a teacher in the district since 2000, bouncing between a couple of schools before spending the past 17 years at Yorkville Intermediate School.

“She is one of the most student-centered educators that you’ll ever come across,” Shimp said of Hageman. “She works at times with some of the most challenging kids. She makes connections with some of the most challenging kids. She works tirelessly and has one of the warmest hearts for kids.”

Cara Kensel, has worked at the district the longest, starting as a second grade teacher at Bristol Grade School in 1993. In addition, she worked in reading recovery and taught kindergarten at Bristol Grade School. Kensel named her time in reading recovery as her top accomplishment at the district, sharing an anecdote where she taught a girl who spoke only Telugu, a language from India, how to read English in only 18 weeks.

“I could teach anybody to read,” Kensel said. “When I was done with reading recovery and they brought me back to second grade, I was able to use the strategies. It was amazing.”