Boyceville School District sees five staff members retire

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BOYCEVILLE — The Boyceville Community School District lost a wealth of experience and knowledge when five of its staff members chose to take retirement at the conclusion of this school year.

Looking to enjoy retirement after many years of serving the children and parents of the Boyceville Community School District are Vivian Hanestad, district attendance secretary and lunch secretary; Jeff Hoff, elementary special education teacher; Janine Klaustermeier, elementary teacher and reading interventionist; Judy Humpal, district administrative assistant; and Lisa McDonald, Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (EBD) paraprofessional. 

The Tribune Press Reporter sent each retiree a questionnaire. What follows are their responses.

Jeffrey Hoff

Where are you from originally? Where did you go to school?

I am originally from the Connorsville area and have lived in the Boyceville School District my entire life. I attended the Connorsville School (now Herdsmen Feed Plant) through sixth grade, and then went to Boyceville for my last six years. My undergraduate and Master’s degree are both from UW-Stout.

How many years did you teach at Boyceville and what subject or grade level did you teach?

Twenty four years, plus a half a year teaching expelled Boyceville students in the Wheeler Town Hall at the start of my career.

Did you teach anywhere else before coming to Boyceville?

I taught for two years in the Elmwood School District, part of a year splitting my time between Athens in the morning, and Edgar in the afternoon, and I also did two long-term substitute positions at St Croix Central and at Baldwin-Woodville School Districts.

Why did you decide to go into teaching and/or why did you decided on your particular area of expertise?

I was a full-time dairy farmer and was also working 50 to 60 hours a week as a shipping foreman at Doboy Feeds in New Richmond. I decided there had to be an easier way to make a living. So, I left Doboy and enrolled at Stout in the field of Vocational Rehabilitation. After a few changes to Stout’s program I ended up on the education track. 

What are some of the changes you have noticed over the years in your subject or in education in general or how has the school itself changed? 

Today most children start school when they are four years old. When I personally started school there was no kindergarten, you just started in first grade. I am sure I started first grade not knowing my ABCs or how to count to 10. Now students are expected to know these things before they start 4K.

Another big change has been technology. Technology has exploded during my teaching career. When I started out everything was handwritten or typed. Today everything is done on the computer.

What did you like best about teaching in Boyceville?

I liked teaching at Boyceville for many reasons. First it allowed me to see my own three sons as they went through school and I was able to be part of their educational experience. Teaching and living in Boyceville also helped me feel part of the community and not like I was just doing a job. I also got to see the children I worked with, around the community and in different settings every day. 

Tell about an event or a project or some aspect of your teaching career that you will never forget.

There have been too many positive events in my teaching career to even begin entering all of them. Working with children every day and hopefully having a positive impact on their lives has been an honor.

One event that has been a huge impact on education during my career is when then Governor Walker mounted an all out attack on educators and public education. The damage to education done at this time will be felt through teacher, and substitute teacher, shortages for years to come.

What will you miss about teaching or about your students?

I will miss being around the students every day. As a special education teacher, I often work with certain students for a number of years. Being with this student over many years there often is a bond formed, and I take ownership in how these students thrive in their later school years and in life in general.

What are you looking forward to doing after you retire?

I hope to spend some time working on my beef farm and lawn care business. I also hope to get to do some traveling around the United States and spending a lot of time with my family.

Anything else you would like to add or that you would like people to know?

I have always considered it a privilege to work in the Boyceville School District. The way the staff at Tiffany Creek Elementary has always felt like a family to me is very special.

Janine Klaustermeier

Where are you from originally? Where did you go to school?

I grew up in the Connorsville area. We lived out of town until I was about in 1st grade and then I became a “town kid”. I graduated from the Boyceville School District and then went on to UW-Stout. While at Stout, I changed my major a couple of times, finally deciding on Early Childhood Education. I was hired in Boyceville when it went to all day, everyday Kindergarten. After a few years of teaching Kindergarten, I went on to get my Masters in Education from UW-River Falls. 

How many years did you teach in Boyceville and what subject or grade level did you teach?

I have taught in Boyceville for 36 years. Most of my teaching years have allowed me to team with lots of great teachers throughout the years in Kindergarten, First, and Second grades. I also, in the last 2 years, have had the opportunity to become a reading interventionist working with students Kindergarten through 6th grade. It has been great to see the broad range of needs for our readers across many ages.

Did you teach anywhere else before coming to Boyceville?

I have not taught anywhere else. 

Why did you decide to go into teaching and/or why did you decide on your particular area of expertise?

I enjoy people, especially young people. Kids are filled with curiosity and a love of learning!

What are some of the changes you have noticed over the years in your subject or in education in general or how has the school itself changed?

I always say that I don’t mind “change” AND there have certainly been lots of changes during my career. Of course; children, parents, staff, and administrators are always changing. But I have also been through building projects and referendums, technology advances, a district centennial, and curricular changes, just to name a few. More recently, using COVID protocols in our school. Schools and education are always changing so you have to continue to be flexible.

What did you like best about teaching in Boyceville?

I think it was great to teach in the same district that my children grew up in. I was able to be part of so many experiences that I otherwise would not have been able to do. My kids did well in school, in part, because I was an active parent in their education. They also knew I valued education.

Tell about an event or a project or some aspect of your teaching career that you will never forget.

A couple of unique experiences I have had while being an educator involved traveling. I traveled to New York City and went to the Bronx Zoo for an Animal Science Curriculum training. I also traveled to Plymouth and Boston, Massachusetts for a Fund for Teachers Grant focusing on second grade Social Studies curriculum. Both were amazing experiences with great groups of colleagues from our elementary school.

What will you miss about teaching or about your students?

I know I will miss the daily contact with people – Adults and Kids! 

What are you looking forward to doing after you retire?

As most friends know, I love to travel. It is a big world out there and I want to continue to see and learn what I can about it! I have been blessed to go to many places. Now I am really looking forward to having a flexible schedule so I can travel more – if possible. I will LOVE to be able to see my daughters more often since they all live in other states. 

Anything else you would like to add or that you would like people to know?

I would like to say that one of the most important things that parents can do is to read with your child at an early age. It gives so much to your child! It gives them a connection to the parent through love and support. It allows them to focus and also be curious. They also start to make connections to becoming a lifelong learner and to dream big dreams!

Vivian Hanestad

I started at the Boyceville School District in October of 1986. I worked in early childhood for one year and then moved to the Middle School/High School office position. So I have worked for the District for 37 years.

I am at the front office with my co-worker Nancy and I/we do what ever we need to do. Help students with whatever they need, such as signing in to school, giving passes and early dismissal slips, some nursing, sending out lunch statements and collecting lunch money.

When I first started in the office, February 1988, we did not have computers. Then in April of 1988 we got computers, oh my, so much to learn and do. We had so much entering, but did make things so much easier. Many changes and updates have occurred over the years. I made it!! I have 2 monitors now which I really love. Thank you, Nancy for all your tech support over the years.

I like being at school. A day at school is pretty much the same every day and yet very different. I have been blessed to be around students and very caring teachers and staff. I will miss everything about school. You know a lot of people when you work at school. I will miss talking to the kids (doing a little bossing) and sure will miss my wonderful co-workers.

I have so many fun memories about school, but I think having “my face on the moon” was really special.

I plan to be doing more side-by-side rides and working on my yard .

Judy Humpal

Position with the school district and for how many years? 

I’ve worked as the administrative assistant in the District Office for 24 years.

Describe your duties.

Some of the duties included providing administrative support to the District Administrator and to the School Board, school board elections, open enrollment, and responsible for sending student data for state and federal reporting collected by DPI, etc.

What are some of the changes you have noticed over the years in the position or the job duties or changes in general? 

Definitely technology, you just keep growing with it but when you look back, it’s amazing how far we’ve come.  The other big change is all the state reporting of student demographics that needs to be collected for State and Federal reporting, they add new data collection requirements each year.

What did you like best about working in the school district? Why? 

I was privileged to work with five great superintendents and several different school board members throughout the years. I also loved being able to work with such wonderful staff and to be able to watch the kids grow and advance each year.

What are you going to miss the most? Why?

I will miss seeing the kids each day and being a part of a wonderful group of staff.

What are you looking forward to doing in your retirement?

We hope to spend a lot more time at our cabin, be able to watch our grandchildren in their activities, and on those days when I feel like doing nothing, I can simply do just that.

Lisa McDonald

Position with the school district and for how many years?

My paraprofessional position at Tiffany Creek Elementary began in October of 1997 but I had been subbing there for some time before being hired in October.

Describe your duties.

My duties at Tiffany Creek Elementary started in Early Childhood where I worked very young students. I worked with an amazing staff that understood the needs of the students and I felt it was a privilege to be learning how I could help meet those needs.

I then moved on to work with Jeff Hoff for many years helping students on a more individual basis: tutoring in and out of the classrooms to help students reach their goals as well as behavior management.

In my final years, I continued in Special Education tutoring and helping to modify the specific needs of each student I worked with. I truly enjoyed being in the classrooms with the students and will miss that.

What are some of the changes you have noticed over the years in the position or the job duties or changes in general?

I do believe that Paraprofessionals have unique duties in the schools. It is important to be flexible as there are many needs on so many levels and those needs change on a yearly basis. The most prevalent change I saw was due to the COVID period. It was a stressful period for all of us as well as the families. Wearing masks was difficult; facial expression is so important in communication. There was a lot of energy put forth to keep things as normal as possible for our students.

What did you like best about working in the school district? Why?

I will greatly miss the team work that is very present at our school. The staff is not only supportive of their students, but they are very supportive of one another as well. There is a sense of “family” at TCE.

What are you going to miss the most? Why?

I will very much miss the interaction with the kids and staff. To be a part of so much energy and creativity from the students and staff along with daily humor has been such a positive experience for me.

Tell about something memorable that happened while you were on the job.

First of all, I must mention that in 2008 I found myself needing a kidney transplant. I presented this information in a staff meeting and a few staff members came to talk to me about their thoughts. One staff member and friend (my daughter’s third grade teacher) Janine Klaustermeier became my donor; the entire staff supported us all through the process. I’m very grateful for the entire memory.

What are you looking forward to doing in your retirement?

Retirement will offer some opportunities that I just haven’t been able to partake in while working: sleeping in! Also travel and spending time doing the things I enjoy doing: reading books, sewing, and getting together with friends at length.

Anything else you would like people to know?

I’m so very grateful for the time spent at TCE, the time spent learning, growing, and relationships has been such a rich experience.