Farewell, Teachers!
In this article, Audrey interviews the teachers retiring at the end of this 2023-24 school year.
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Farewell, Teachers!
Farewell, Teachers!
By: Audrey Roetling
By: Audrey Roetling
As the 2023-24 school year comes to an end, students study for their finals, look forward to the end-of-school-year activities, and count down the days until summer vacation. We prepare for the graduation of our senior class and say goodbye to our retiring teachers: Mrs. Berg, Mr. Frye, Mr. Gross, and Mr. Johnston.
Image from: GPHS Yearbook
Mrs. Berg, a science teacher at Grants Pass High School, is retiring after 33 years of teaching. Although she has taught Social Studies and Language Arts in the past, her favorite subjects to teach are Biology and Ecology. In college, she received a Bachelor's degree in animal science, a Master's degree in Teaching, and a Master's degree in Reproductive Physiology, where she focused on cloning cows. Mrs. Berg plans on staying busy in her retirement by taking care of her cows, gardening her orchid, and working part-time in the lab. Her favorite part of teaching has been watching kids grow up and really understanding why things are done a certain way. She would like to tell students, “ Sometimes mistakes are the best opportunities, be a lifelong learner, and do not forget those who helped build you up.”
Mr. Frye is retiring after being in a rock band for 10 years (and teaching history for 34 years). He has a Bachelor's degree in History, a Masters in Philosophy, and a Masters in Teaching History. Mr. Frye has taught a variety of subjects at Grant Pass High School, including AP European History, Government, Holocaust Studies, and Advanced World Cultures (in which he even wrote the textbooks for the class). His favorite part of teaching has been assisting students in developing critical thinking skills and being able to tell his corny jokes to an audience that legally cannot leave, saying: “Love what you do and never work.”
Image from: GPHS Yearbook
Image from: GPHS Yearbook
Mr. Gross retired in 2021. However, shortly afterward, he revoked his retirement and returned to Grants Pass High School. Now, Mr. Gross is retiring a second time, after a total of 34 years of teaching. Mr. Gross has taught multiple math classes over his teaching years-- although, his favorite has been AP Statistics, which he started at the high school roughly 25 years ago. The part he found most fulfilling about teaching has been building relationships with students and being able to help them work problems out for themselves. Some advice he would like to say to students: "There are so many distractions, especially nowadays, that they can throw students off track. Be engaged in the classroom, focus on your work, and try to stay motivated in accomplishing your goals.”
Mr. Johnston is retiring after 26 years of teaching, 19 years of which were spent at Grants Pass High School. His favorite subjects are Chemistry and Physics. Although Mr. Johnston is retiring from teaching, he plans on staying very active running a foster care program with his wife called I/DD (Intellectual/ Developmental Disabilities). A piece of advice Mr. Johnston would like to leave students with is “This too shall pass,” which is something his father always told him growing up. “It means that this circumstance isn't forever. Everyone thinks their life is over at 15 when something happens and it really isn't. It will pass. You will look back at it later one day and realize that it really wasn’t as big of a deal as you thought it was back then.”
Image from: GPHS Yearbook
Grants Pass High School has so many teachers who really care about students and want to offer them the best education possible. There are always mixed feelings when it comes to retirement for teachers and students alike. Although it seems everyone has at least one certain teacher they want to stay until they graduate, it is time for some to move on to the next chapter of their life. We are so thankful for the time spent with these teachers!
Sources:
Sources:
Interview with Mrs. Berg
Interview with Mr. Frye
Interview with Mr. Gross
Interview with Mr. Johnston
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