News

A new beginning for six teachers

By Scott Wagar

05/20/2014

The seniors for Bottineau High School will be graduating this upcoming weekend and leaving the school for new endeavors in their lives, but six teachers will also be graduating into their own new endeavors as they plan to retire and start their next chapter in life.

When Jan Gienger, Larry Gienger, Sandi Hoffman, Dianne Mehlhoff, Rod Schmidt and Gerald Wettlaufer retired this weekend they will have a combined total of 181.5 years of educating students, with 158.5 years of teaching in the Bottineau School District.

LARRY GIENGER
 
Larry Gienger has 41 years of teaching under his belt with eight years at Central Cass High School and 33 years in the Bottineau School District.

In Bottineau, he taught American government, economics, psychology, world geography and U.S. and World history.

Larry and his wife, Jan, will be moving to Bismarck to be closer to their daughter and grandson and also plan to travel a great deal.

“We will be doing a lot of babysitting,” Gienger said. “I am also going to enjoy golfing, reading and working in the yard. I may even look for a part-time job if I get bored.”

Gienger stated that his best memories in the school are the students.

“I loved the students at Bottineau so much. I’ve worked with so many great kids over the years and had so many terrific experiences with them,” Gienger said. “I always thought one of the best things about our high school was the student body.”

JAN GIENGER

Jan Gienger has been in the Bottineau School District for 30 years with one additional year as an educator at the Goodrich Public School.

During her time in the Bottineau school system, she has been a substitute teacher, junior high reading and geography teacher, junior high Title I teacher and middle school Title I teacher.

In retirement, Gienger plans to read, complete all the sewing and quilting projects she has acquired over the years and spend time with family and friends.

Like her husband, Gienger’s best memories are the children she educated and staff she has worked along side with during her time in the school.

“My best memories are the many kids I’ve gotten to know. Nothing beats the enthusiasm and honesty of children,” Gienger said. “I’ve worked with inspiring teachers and para-educators. I cherish those times together.”

SANDI HOFFMAN

Sandi Hoffman has taught 32 years with 26 of them in the Bottineau School District where she started out teaching kindergarten before becoming the district’s Title I  reading and math teacher for first and second grades.

Hoffman has many things planned for her retirement.

“I am looking forward to many new adventures in my retirement. I am interested in spending more time volunteering in the community,” Hoffman said. “I hope to find more time to pursue interests in quilting, gardening, and technology. I am really looking forward to having more time to spend with my grandchildren, family and friends.”

As she walks out of the Central School’s doors for the last time, she will leave with some very sweet memories.

“I have made many wonderful memories with the teachers and students I have encountered in my teaching career in Bottineau.

Many life long friendships have been made with so many of the teachers that have come and gone in my 26 years here,” Hoffman said. “I cherish the times when I have watched a struggling reader overcome their frustrations and become a successful reader. I love it when they tell me that they used to hate reading and now love it. Those are great moments.”

DIANNE MEHLHOFF

Dianne Mehlhoff has been employed with the Bottineau School District for all of her 30 years in education. As a teacher in the school system she has taught kindergarten for 10 years before becoming a first grade teacher, a position she has held for the past 20 years.

Mehlhoff will be leaving Bottineau to go to her hometown in the eastern part of North Dakota where she plans to spend time with her parents and grandchildren, along with some traveling.

Within her memory’s eye of the school district, she stated she will have warmhearted memories.

“My fondest memories in the classroom were listening to some of the stories the children had to share, seeing the proud moments of their accomplishments, and wondering what next week’s show and tell would bring,” Mehlhoff said.

“The most unforgettable presentation was when one of my students brought me a dead bird in a baggie. He beamed from ear to ear as he got it with his own BB gun and just for me. Wow. Note to parents - you really do need to check those backpacks,” she giggled.

“I will now walk away with many mixed emotions to begin a new chapter of my life knowing I have been blessed with a great career, a loving and supporting family and many lifelong friends. Good friends are hard to find, harder to leave and impossible to forget. Thank you Bottineau.”

ROD SCHMIDT

Rod Schmidt taught school for just over 11 years, where he taught at the Fairbault School for the Deaf for three years.

He accepted the position of Building Trades instructor at Bottineau High School, during the second semester of the 2005-06 school year and stayed in that position for the past eight years.

Like his life in the school district, and outside classroom and the buildings he has taught his students to construct, Schmidt’s activities will stay similar to what he has been doing with an eventual move to new home in Minnesota.

“My future plans are to draw floor plans for our house we will be building in Elko/New Market, Minn., and hopefully break ground in the spring of 2015, but none of that is for sure as you know life can hand us some curves occasionally,” Schmidt said.

“I have already lined up various small jobs to occupy my time and I have already applied for Social Security starting in August, when I turn 62. I love to hunt, fish, take naps and I do a lot of painting. I already have numerous landscapes to start painting once school is out.”

As an instructor in Bottineau, Schmidt’s finest remembrance is of his students participating at the national skills competition.

“My best memories involve taking my SkillsUSA student competitors to national competition in Kansas City,” Schmidt said. “It was precious to see the faces of these boys to see and do something only a handful of students ever get to experience on a national level.”

GERALD WETTLAUFER

Gerald Wettlaufer has taught for 32 years with one year in Dunseith and 31 in Bottineau’s school district. In Bottineau, he taught agricultural education and was the FFA advisor for grades seven through 12.

At the present time, Wettlaufer is uncertain in what he will be doing in retirement, but is looking at a number of options.

When he looks back at his 31 years in Bottineau, a number of memories has a special place in his mind.

“I have many, but working with many, many outstanding students and being able to attend FFA events, travel, winning state events, and attending national events would be my most memorable times in the FFA,” Wettlaufer said. “As far as classroom, being able to watch young teenagers grow,  and then see them become successful and to think that I may have had a little part in their success is very rewarding.”