19 Year PCH Teacher Daniel Kelty wasn’t always dead set on teaching high school Spanish as he initially pursued different avenues.
“I knew that I wanted to have a job that picked my brain that made me think, and something that used my Spanish,” Kelty said. “I traveled around a lot. I got a degree in linguistics and I thought that was really awesome. For a while, I thought, ‘maybe I should try to become a professor and get my Ph.D.’”
Kelty then got an offer from Kirkwood to serve as an interim teacher.
“I got a phone call from Kirkwood high school. They had a student teacher who had two sections that she decided she couldn’t hang with her courses. So, they needed someone in an emergency situation,” Kelty said.
At Kirkwood, Kelty found the motivation to teach at the high school level.
“I worked there for the rest of the school year and I thought, ‘Oh, this is really cool, I think I can do this,” Kelty said.
Kelty is part of Parkway Central’s 2024 retirees which also include English teacher Colleen Haley, P.E Teacher Terri Laughlin, Assistant Principal Travis Fast, and Administrative Assistant Trish Reynolds. Amongst the retirees, there are many different factors that contribute to the decision to retire, one of which is financials.
“When you retire, you will get a pension. So, I feel like it’s a nice idea to collect on a pension and then work part time instead of working full time,” Haley said.
Financials are important not only for teachers, but for administrators as well.
“It was financially feasible, and I don’t know if not working seems decent,” Fast said. Good financial stability allows for the staff to relax.
“I’m gonna chill out in the summer and then with my husband I hope to do some traveling,” Reynolds said. Despite relaxing being a constant amongst all the retirees, some plan on still teaching. “I already have a job as a teacher at UMSL. I’m teaching at the Honors College and I’ll be teaching freshman composition.” Haley said.
Some of the retirees are spending their new found time pursuing their passions.
“I am highly interested in the history and culture of the state of Missouri and so I may do some additional education,” Fast said.
Kelty seconds this, as he also plans to pursue more of his interests.
“I want to learn how to play the banjo, I want to study more languages and I want to read a lot more books,” Kelty said.
Each of the retirees have been in the education field for 15+ years, many of which have been at Central. They have had many memorable experiences no matter if they’re a teacher or an administrator.
“I love taking our adventure pursuits class to the lake and kayaking every semester. We’ve had some really fun times and funny stories,” Laughlin said.
While some staff members enjoy memories through classes they’ve taught, others enjoy seeing achievement for PCH students
“When the National Merit Scholars are announced every year, that’s just an exciting and renewing moment,” Fast said. Some of the retirees have also enjoyed being a part of traditions at PCH like Powder Puff.
“What makes it special is the big crowd. It’s amazing how much excitement and feeling is in that game. Every time you score,everybody’s so excited,” Kelty said.
Amongst the five of them, they agree that Parkway Central has a great environment.
“I feel like we’re so culturally rich and our students have the best combination of being sort of excited about learning and being involved, but also are very relaxed,” Haley said.
Fellow staff members have also contributed to PCH’s positive environment
“I know that there’s experts, if I see something that I want to learn more about, I could ask a teacher in the history department about something that I’ve learned recently,” Fast said. “The music department’s been a good resource for things that I’m interested in, as well.”
Overall, the retirees feel like both staff and students in conjunction is what makes the place so special
“The kids are really great kids and I’ve always really enjoyed them. Parkway Central is a great place to work. I think that all the other teachers I work with really care about the kids,” Kelty said.
While Parkway Central has been a strong home for the retirees, there have been some challenges along the way. With a background in book publishing, Trish Reynolds found the transition to being an administrative assistant hard at first.
“Well, I think it was very different going from the private sector to the public sector and it was a big change,” Reynolds said. Another challenge that a retiree faced was assigning grades.
“Having to assign grades is a tough part of teaching. When you see how hard people work, and you still have to, give them maybe not the best grade,” Haley said.
Even through the ups and downs, a retiree could always count on a friend they’ve made through PCH
“No matter how crazy things got and, I could always count on a good laugh and just to be able to just joke around with Jason Lovera,” Kelty said.
Parkway Central has also been a place where the retirees have been inspired by role models.
“I would shout out Sue Keller, as she was my, my former mentor here and she taught PE at Parkway Central,” Laughlin said. “So, she was just someone I really looked up to and she always gave me good advice.”
The retirees also appreciate the work the librarians do
“The librarians have always helped to get perspective. They are just geniuses when it comes to books, and resources and unit planning,” Haley said.
Emotions are high as the staff members prepare to retire. Many feel like the time they spent here went by quickly
“The days are long, but the years are fast. And it’s really a blink from the time we moved here and my son was in his last year of preschool to now being in the position where we’re in retirement,” Reynolds said.
Just like arriving or graduating from high school retirement is a big change in these staff members’ lives
“It’s a weird transition. It’s like a senior moving to go to college. Retirement is a whole new phase in my life and it’s gonna be a big transition and I’m ready for it,” Kelty said.
