SOUTHWORDS'SENIOR ISSUEÂŤ2004
15
retiring faculty members Jim Rees, Athletic Director, 34 years of service I came to Maine South in 1970 as a Physical Education teacher and an assistant varsity football coach, assistant varsity wrestling coach and freshman baseball coach. The previous fall I had been a student teacher here and had been given the opportunity to coach football while doing that. After six years of teaching Physical Education I began teaching health us well. Within a couple of years my sole assignment was as a Health educator During thai time I continued to be an assistant coach in varsity football and varsity wrestling. In 19891 became the Athletic Director and had the task to merge separate hays and girls athletic programs into a single department Few people remember hov.- separate they had been. The two programs had different awards, separate trophy cases, separate g}'ms. different rules and policies, etc. It was exciting to create a single unified department out of those two very separate ones. I have many absolutely great memories in the past 34 years, both teaching and coaching. Those memories include teaching the first elective PE courses and the very first co-ed PE class offered at Maine South. In the 70 s we had one of the first comprehensive Health Education programs in the state and it was exciting to be involved in creating the curriculum that other schools around the state came to observe and model. Athletics has been every bit as memorable. There are so many great memories it's hard-to single a few out. I'll always remember coaching the first Hawk football teams that got to the state play-offs in 1975 and 1976. Other great memories were the 1979 state basketball championship. As Athletic Director, the highlights include the nvo championships in football, the state runner-up in tennis and again in football and this year's 3"^ place finish in girls' volleyball. But the most lasting mem.ories will be of the extremely talented and dedicated coaches that I 've had the opportunity to work alongside for the past 34 years and of the athletes who have worked so hard to excel. Myfixtureplans are to build a home on my land in Colorado. I 'm starting this summer I 've put-off a lot of trips I 'vc icmged to take due to commitments in coaching and being athletic director. So I plan to catch up and now finally take those vacation trips. I wouldn) he at all surprised if, in a year or m-o, / end up volunteering to coach at one of the local high .schools in Colorado. I will truly miss Maine South, its kids and its coaches. It has been such a big part of my life for so long.
Jan Cannon, Career Counselor, 25 years of service In the olden days, when I was a high school senior, I mused about a position or service that I thought should exist in a high school. When I shared my vision with my friends, the responsewas- "We're getting one next year They call them coun.selors. " "That's what I am going to prepare to do, " I said to myself, and so I did. I taught English only very briefly because the demand to fill the newly mandated counselor positions in high schools was creating lots ofopportunityfor those teachers who had finished a Masters to become a school counselor as I had. My experience as a counselor helped me land a job at the new Maine Township High School that was opening in 1970- Maine North. Later I spent years as a .stay-at-home Mom. When I returned to counseling, .North had closed and I became a generalist counselor at Maine East for eleven years. When the Career Counselor position became available at C^ ^ - j m - i - j T ' ' f a m u r l- \ J Maine South. I applied. My younger daughter was a senior at .Maine South when I came to \rd ^ ^ ! 9 ^ S n ^ ^ M ^ ^ " ^ y South's CRC 10 years ago in August 1994. Twemv-five of my 33 years in education have been in District 207. My life has been so enriched by my associations with the Maine Township High Schools. I have worked with countless wonderful people: students, families, faculty, staff and alums. My most recent love affair with Maine South has been enhanced with the opportunity to focus on post high school planning part of counseling which had always been a particular interest. There is always something new to learn, new problems to solve and new people to meet. It doesn't get much better than that. My wish would be for every Maine South student to discover a career path for him or her that is stimulating, interesting, and satisfying. Other than some travel and a few house projects, my retirement plans are as yet unstructured except to be open to new experiences, to experience a personal renaissance and to continue enjoying life through the future chapters.