Each year, The Ticker is proud to showcase some of the best and brightest graduates in Leelanau County. But what about the educators who shaped those young men and women into the people they are today?

Here, we feature three educators who retired this year from Leelanau County school districts. Please note that this is not intended to be a complete list of all retiring educators in the county.

Kim Fowler, Leland Public School

Fowler has worked at Leland Public School for 26 years. The bulk of that time was as a middle and high school special education teacher, with the last three years as a reading interventionist in the elementary school.

What are you most proud of during your time as a teacher? 

I am proud of staying in a field for 29 years that is tough and where teacher turnover is about 1-5 years. Mostly, I'm proud of the students who have graduated and moved on to have successful careers, regardless of the academic struggles they may have had in high school. Helping students understand and focus on their strengths helped me feel I had a purpose.

What will you miss most about working in education?

The day-to-day routine. I will miss teaching students and listening to their insights into life. They made me laugh and smile every day. I've had my days of crying too, but the joy and laughter outweighs any sadness. I'll miss watching students as they grow in skills, maturity and talents. The privilege of working in a K-12 school has been supporting students as they grow up from kindergarten to graduation and witnessing how far they've come. Most of all, I will miss the friendships I've made with the teachers, the laughter we've shared, and their encouragement.

Thoughts from the boss (Ryan Huppert, Leland superintendent)

As a special education teacher and interventionist, Kim has been the absolute definition of kindness and patience for over two decades. And her talents didn't stop at the classroom door, she also worked her magic behind the scenes as the drama department’s go-to costume seamstress. Kim has left a lasting mark on countless families, and while we’ll miss her terribly, we wish her the happiest retirement.

Sarah Jane Johnson, Suttons Bay Public Schools (and everywhere else)

Johnson spent 36 years in parochial, private, pubic charter and public schools, teaching preschool to adult students. She started teaching at Holy Rosary in 1990, did parent education/early childhood advocacy work for Leelanau County MSU Extension, taught middle school and was librarian at The Pathfinder School for about a decade, taught English at China Three Gorges University, Northern Michigan University and Colorado State University while working on master's degrees, was head of school/teacher at the newly opened Greenspire School and director of the Leelanau Children's Center in Northport, and finally spent the last eight years teaching in the Great Start program at Suttons Bay Public School.

What are you most proud of during your time as a teacher? 

Brain development is constant over the life span, but two big bursts of development happen: one from birth to around five, and again in the middle school years as the brain reorganizes for adulthood. I've spent the bulk of my time with kids during these little and middle years. Education – the exchange and relationship between people, ideas, and skill – is a powerful change agent. Positive, engaging, novel experience/education during these windows of opportunity are game changers for building better brains, and, by extension building better societies. I'd be happy if my years in education contributed to student growth while supporting the future citizenship of our community.

What will you miss most about working in education?

Curiosity is fundamentally human, and fundamental to learning. Sparking curiosity – why did Mesopotamians come up with cuneiform, how do you use Pythagorean theorem to build a chicken coop, what happens if you don’t put a teaspoon of baking powder in muffins and who came up with teaspoons and measuring anyway? – is asking pertinent questions wanting answers. Curiosity is creative, leading to exploration, innovation and motivating academics. Sparking the happy hullabaloo of children’s natural curiosity makes teaching standards and skills a whole lot more enjoyable. I'll very much miss the happy hullabaloo of children discovering cool stuff.

Thoughts from the boss (Casey Petz, Suttons Bay Superintendent)

It isn't often that a superintendent can say that they learned more about public education in a GSRP classroom than any college course they took. In my time in this role, I have leaned on the wisdom, strength, expertise of Sarah Jane often. She's an immensely talented educator and an amazing human being that has given so much to our school district, our families, and our students. There are few people in this world that can handle any situation that may arise in a classroom with the level of care, compassion, and kindness that Sarah Jane has through her career.

Jennifer Gretzmacher, Glen Lake Community Schools

Gretzmacher spent 24 years at Glen Lake, teaching Young 5s, kindergarten and third through sixth grades before moving into the intervention and curriculum coordinator role.

What are you most proud of during your time as a teacher? 

The last seven years in this role have truly been a labor of love as I was able to create a schoolwide system of intervention and enrichment so that all students were receiving reading and math instruction at their levels in addition to the grade level content. Honestly, this is what I'm most proud of as I get to see the positive daily impact of meeting the students where they are and the effect it has on their ability, confidence, and self-worth. 

What will you miss most about working in education?

What I'll miss most is building the relationships with students and staff. You spend so much time working closely with each other that they truly become your second family. Witnessing their "aha" moments when things click is just as amazing. While I'll continue teaching on a smaller scale with tutoring and starting my education consultant business, the Glen Lake community will always have a piece of my heart. 

Thoughts from the boss (Ryan Schrock, Glen Lake elementary principal)

Jen is truly an amazing educator who has had a profound impact on our community.  She has spent years leading our teaching team in literacy and math support, working tirelessly to ensure every student succeeds.  What makes Jen so unique is her ability to support students at absolutely every level – from those facing significant learning challenges to advanced students who are ready to dive deeper into accelerated tracks of study. On top of her direct work with students, she is masterful at analyzing data to help our teachers make timely, informed instructional decisions in the classroom.  Beyond her professional brilliance, she is just a wonderful human being who cares deeply for our students, staff, and families and consistently models the highest levels of professionalism.

Photo L-R, Fowler, Johnson, Gretzmacher