So Long to 3 MS Teachers
At the end of the 2020-2021 school year, Central Lyon will lose 100+ years of teaching experience in the middle school. The three middle school teachers retiring are Mr. Bruce Eckenrod, Mrs. Sue Van Wyhe, and Mrs. Connie Boeve. They will be missed by many.
Mr. Eckenrod started teaching at Central Lyon during the school year of 1988-1989 and he taught for 33 years at Central Lyon. Central Lyon was not the only school he taught at. The other schools that Mr. Eckenrod taught at was Nashua Community Schools for one year and Meriden Cleghorn Community Schools for three years. His favorite subject at school was United States History and European History. He has so many special memories at Central Lyon but winning the girls' basketball State Title in 2013 was probably the most special memory he had. He is hoping to continue maintaining the ball fields in Rock Rapids, and do a lot of golfing. He also hopes to attend the Minnesota Twins Spring Training Games. Mr. Eckenrod would love to come back to Central Lyon to visit and sub. He also wants to do a lot of traveling when he retirees. The advice that he has for the new middle school Social Studies teacher is to do your best to make it a great place to work. He also said if you love going to work, it makes it much better.
Mrs. Van Wyhe started teaching at Central Lyon during the school year of 1988-1989 and she taught for 33 years at Central Lyon. Mrs. Van Wyhe began her teaching career at St. Patrick's Catholic School in Sheldon, Iowa, in 1984. In 1985 she started at West Lyon when she subbed second grade, coached volleyball, basketball, and track. After her first year at West Lyon she moved to eighth grade English and Literature. When Mrs. Van Wyhe attended high school, Tech Ed wasn't a subject. Her favorite subjects were math and literature. When she retirees she is hoping to find a flexible position that relates to computers, specifically Microsoft Office Suite and video editing. She has nine grand children, and she would love to do a lot of traveling to see them. Two of her grandchildren live in California, four of them live in Hull, and three live in Illinois. She also would love to help her mom. Mrs. Van Wyhe has a lot of special memories at Central Lyon. One of her favorite times in school was watching her students present their biographies in the auditorium. Usually family and classmates were present as well. She isn't sure who was prouder, her or the students' families. She would love to come back to Central Lyon to visit and possibly sub. Mrs. Van Wyhe and her husband are planning to do some mission work. The advice that she has for the new middle school Tech Ed teacher is remember that you are there for the kids. Care about your students, pray for your students and and enjoy your position. She also wants the new teacher to be flexible! Take some chances. She called her 37 year career 80-20; 80% of the time she will wake up and can't think of anything else she would rather be doing. She also said that teaching Tech Ed has been a continuous learning experience. Mrs. Van Wyhe also said her wish for the students is to do something that they enjoy and never stop learning.
Mrs. Boeve started teaching at Central Lyon in the 1989-1990 school year. She has taught 20 years for Special Ed, one year for sixth grade Science, and ten years for middle school Literature. The last four years she taught seventh grade English and Literature. She substituted in area schools and taught almost a year as a long-term sub in Valley Springs, South Dakota, before coming to Central Lyon. Her favorite class in school was Science but she has always loved reading. She has so many special memories at Central Lyon, but one that stands out was when Superintendent Mel Wishman said that as a teacher we need to continually grow professionally. After retirement, she would like to visit her grown children more often and complete overdue projects at home. Her advice for the new seventh grade English and Literature teacher is to enjoy teaching because the end comes way too quickly. She hasn't decided about subbing yet, but she will stay in touch. Mrs. Boeve is very appreciative of Central Lyon for a fulfilling and productive career.