By Marie Kennedy The Mountain Times
The close of the 2024–25 school year marks the retirement of several long-serving educators from the Oregon Trail School District. This year’s list includes teachers whose careers span decades across multiple schools in the district.
Kristine Nuivert began working for the district in 1998 and has spent the past nine years teaching third grade at Welches Elementary. Before that, she taught at Sandy Grade School and Firwood Elementary. Her path to teaching was somewhat unexpected. “I was in college in my early thirties just to take some art classes, and then I fell in love with education, and it just kept moving in that direction,” she said.
Nuivert credits Welches Elementary Principal Kendra Payne for encouraging creativity in the classroom. “I loved working with Kendra. She supported the extra things that we did. We stuck to the curriculum, but she always encouraged the art,” she said. “And I love working with the kids up here because the mountain kids are so excited to learn about their environment.”
One of her favorite end-of-year traditions was a day hike with her class at Timothy Lake. “It was always a fun way to end the year. We’d hike for a while, and then have lunch. I appreciated that the kids enjoyed being out in the environment they live in.”
“I haven’t always had as much time and energy for art as I would have liked. But now I’ll be able to focus, and to see what direction my art takes.” Then she adds, “And not right away, of course, but I am looking at possibly teaching art classes to kids up here.” Retirement for Nuivert means being able to hike, to paint, to write, to find adventure, and enjoy the same passions she shared with her students.
Julie Barrett is retiring after 27 years. She began with the district in 1997 as a long-term substitute before taking a position at Welches Middle School. In the year 2000, she transitioned to the role of Reading Specialist and ELL Teacher, where she remained for the next 25 years.
“One of the highlights of my career was an after-school/before-school writers’ club,” Barrett cited. “I had amazing participation. Several kids went from several grades below grade level to above grade level one year. And the kids loved it.”
She also spoke about working with a student who had struggled with reading but was interested in science. “I brought in some science books. We sat and read them together — some of them pretty challenging. She saw me using the reading strategies that I had been teaching her. And then, all of a sudden, she got it! She went on to graduate and receive the Presidential Students Gold Medal.”
In retirement, Barrett plans to offer reading support to students with limited access to resources. She specializes in reading instruction with a focus on dyslexia – that’s in addition to having more time to spend with her family.
Quoting her favorite children’s author Patricia Polacco, Barrett said: “Knowledge is like the bee that made that sweet honey – you have to chase it through the pages of a book.” And then, with a smile, she added, “Many smiles, many hugs, many readers. It was the best career. I know that I did all I could to make the world a better place.”
Nick Mato, who taught at Welches Middle School before transferring to Sandy High School, is retiring after 20 years with the district. Most recently, he served as the Business Management teacher at Sandy High.
Robert Farris is retiring after a 40-year teaching career, including 38 years at Boring Middle School. He primarily taught Social Studies but also led various elective classes over the years.
Bradlee Hunter is retiring from Naas Elementary School after three years of service.
Heather Meyers is concluding a 28-year career at Kelso Elementary School, where she taught fifth grade.
Paul Panula, the Metals and Manufacturing and Engineering teacher at Sandy High School, is retiring after 17 years.
These retirements represent decades of accumulated classroom experience, and their years of service have shaped the lives of countless students. A big thanks to all!