Honors staff for years of service

By Sarah Nigbor

ELLSWORTH – "I always appreciate this night, because we usually find out something we don't know about people we've worked with for years and years," said Superinten – dent Barry Cain. Ellsworth Community School District hosted its 35th annual employee recognition dinner Tuesday, May 31 at Ridgetop in rural Prescott. This year, the district bid farewell to six longtime employees and honored many others for 15 and 25 years of service. "We all get used to serving people," Cain said. "We all get used to helping the commu –

nity, helping students, helping each other. To –

night, we acknowledge you."

Retirees Annie Walz, food service

"Annie Walz is an absolute joy of a human being," said Food Service Director Dee Ras – mussen in her introduction. "She's always calling people honey and has a smile on her face." The district hired Walz in October 1999 and she retired in April. She has been a fa – miliar face to students in Ellsworth High School's lunch line for more than two de – cades, ouering encouragement, love, support and kind words to those who needed it. Walz is famous for her compliments and even col – lected autographs from the football team. She will now be able to spend more time with her six children, eight grandchildren and three

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great-grandchildren.

“Who works a full-time job and a parttime job at 80 years old?” Rasmussen said. “The kids just ate her up. You can’t come in and not smile with Annie.”

Rasmussen presented Walz with a commemorative lunch tray embossed with a panther and her years of service. Her co-workers also performed a skit, to show the audience what it was like to go through Walz’s lunch line, complete with compliments and one-liners.

Mary Lewien, art teacher

The ECSD art department honored retiring EHS art teacher/department chair Mary Lewien, who is retiring after 23 years with the district.

“We call her Mama Mary,” said colleague Shelly Nelson. “She has kept us organized all these years. She always kept us honest. Mama Mary always has her act together and makes sure we do too.”

Lewien, who is originally from Thorp, graduated from UW-Stout and from 1980-1998, taught art in the River Falls School District. She came to Ellsworth in November 1998. She and husband David have three grown children.

Colleague Ashley Pritchard entertained the crowd with examples of comments Lewien won’t miss making.

“Quit smelling the Sharpies.” “A three-week clay project and no name?”

"No, the clay is not flavored." Lewien and her husband own and operate Bur Oak Studios & Trades along the banks of Isabelle Creek. She plans to continue creating art, traveling and enjoying life.

Kathy Thoner, financial secretary

Kathy Thoner has been a secretary at EMS since March 1, 1999. Her three daughters performed a skit in her honor, depicting Thoner trying to teach a middle-schooler to use a landline phone.

A jack-of-all-trades, as many secretaries are, Thoner was famous for her festive hol- iday outfits, blaring the "Twelve Days of Christmas” and “School’s Out for Summer” over the loudspeaker, and her sage advice and warm encouragement. She worked with five diuerent principals, five vice principals, and three directors of transportation.

Thoner and her husband Bryan have four grown children. Now that they’re both retired (they owned a dairy farm), they plan to travel and spend time with loved ones.

Lesley Stoesz, Spanish teacher

Lesley Stoesz will retire after 25 years of teaching German and Spanish in the district. Admittedly a bit shy, she said the No. 1 question she’s been asked over the years is how a woman from England ended up in Ellsworth. She met husband Mark (EHS principal) when both worked in the Bavarian Alps for a U.S. military recreation camp. He returned to the U.S. and was supposed to come back, but ended up getting a job teaching in his hometown. He eventually convinced her to come to the US and they moved to Ellsworth after he received a job ouer here in 1990. Lesley Stoesz grew up in northeastern England in a small industrial city. The town had an international folklore festival each year, and she became obsessed with “The Sound of Music.” Little did she know, she’d one day be working just a stone’s throw from where the movie was filmed. “We don’t realize at the time sometimes where we’re heading,” she said. “You get on a path going from A to B. I ended up doing the things I loved doing as a little girl.”

After graduating from UW-River Falls with her teaching degree, she began working at ECSD teaching German and Spanish. She also led the International Club on many trips to Europe and Central America.

“It’s very rewarding to be able to give our students these once-in-a-lifetime experiences and for them to discover a sense of adventure in travel,” she said.

The Stoeszes have two grown daughters. They plan to travel, volunteer and tackle home projects.

Mark Stoesz, EHS principal

Cain introduced Mark Stoesz by talking about his behind-the-scenes work that often went unnoticed. He knew that if he gave him a task, it would get done and it would get done right. Cain and Stoesz have worked together for about 30 years.

Stoesz spent Memorial Day weekend presiding over graduation, attending the EHS senior lock-in (in costume) and preparing for the American Legion’s program, while many people were barbecuing and ringing in summer’s start.

“Mark goes above and beyond to help everyone he can,” Cain said. “He even went and picked kids up sometimes. The kids needed him … many of them living lives we couldn’t even believe is happening. He was always there to help everyone through a personal crisis.”

Cain recalled shoveling knee-deep snow ou the high school roof with Stoesz during a wrestling tournament when water was flow ing into the computer lab. He told of the time Stoesz and teacher Anne Pechacek drove a colleague in labor to the hospital and how the baby was almost born in the car. A few years ago, Stoesz spent his Christmas break coordinating clean-up, uniform dry-cleaning, and restoration after a fire broke out in the wrestling room, all so students could return to a safe, clean school. And then there was COVID.

"I can't explain what the first 48-72 hours of COVID were like,” Cain said. “He and others spent all spring break figuring out a plan, without a thought. The hours worked and the time of day didn’t matter to Mark. It was because it needed to be done.”

Stoesz also went to every student event, not because he had to, but because he wanted to.

“Mark often said it’s our job to love kids no matter who they are, what they believe, or how they treat us,” Cain said.

As Stoesz took the mic, he thanked his colleagues (especially Lesley for taking care of him) and spoke about how much he’s always loved being in school. In fact, he doesn’t feel like he’s old enough to be retiring. As he was cleaning out his desk, he found his teaching philosophy, which he wrote down 37 years ago. It still rings true.

“I view teaching as a profession in which you’re always learning and always able to adapt,” he said. “I still believe that is true.”

Tim Conway, EMS principal

Cain also introduced Tim Conway, who has been with the district since 1996, most recently in his role as EMS principal. Conway has always been known for his energy, sense of humor and knack for making engaging videos. His help in navigating the pandemic was also instrumental to the district, Cain said.

“Tim just grabbed on along with Ashley Boe (assistant principal) when we were going to distance learning,” Cain said. “What an unbelievable accomplishment.”

Highway 63 runs through Conway’s blood, he said. He grew up 200 feet from Highway 63 in Iowa in a town similar to Ellsworth, but with less cheese curds.

After earning a degree in philosophy, Conway took a winding path into education.

“I didn’t know what to do then,” he joked. “It turned out my parents were right. The job market for philosophers was almost nothing.”

During his “Jack Kerouac phase,” he worked with troubled youth at a wilderness camp near Sandstone, Minn., where he realized his knack with working with kids. After meeting future wife Heather, they packed up the 1988 Ford Tempo and road-tripped to Colorado, where they went to graduate school. Jobs brought them to the Ellsworth area, and they settled in and raised two sons, Jonah and Caleb.

The evening ended with Conway’s nostalgic video, showing the path his life took to Ellsworth and now onto his next adventure.

Years of service

Years of service recognition went to the following: Julie Baggenstoss, 15 years, bus driver Anika Borner, 15 years, first grade teacher Ryan Casper, 25 years, social studies teacher Julie Frion, 25 years, 15 years as a kindergarten teacher, 10 years as a second grade teacher Jason Haugley, 15 years, special education teacher and transition coordinator Renee Helgeson, 15 years, eighth grade science teacher Melissa Olson, 15 years, special education aide Jill Rosenberry, 25 years, EES intervention teacher/St. Francis Title 1 teacher Karen Thoen, 15 years, district literacy specialist Chad Whalen, 25 years, physical education teacher Mary Zimmerman, 25 years, EES principal/ special education director/curriculum coordinator

Ellsworth Community School District Food Service Director Dee Rasmussen shared memories of longtime EHS food service em -ployee Annie Walz, who received a commem-orative lunch tray as a parting gift for herretirement. Photo by Sarah Nigbor

The following ECSD employees received rec-ognition Tuesday, May 31 for 15 years of ser-vice. Pictured are (from left) Anika Borner, Jason Haugley, Renee Helgeson and Karen Thoen. Also receiving recognition but not pictured: Julie Baggenstoss, Karen Klawit -ter and Melissa Olson. Photo by Sarah Nigbor

These ECSD employees received recognition for 25 years of service at the 35th annual rec-ognition banquet Tuesday, May 31. (From left): Mary Zimmerman, Julie Frion, Jill Rosenberry, Lesley Stoesz and Ryan Casper. Chad Whalen also received recognition, but was not in attendance. Photo by Sarah Nigbor