“A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.”
— Henry Adams (1838-1918), author and historian

The National Education Association has proclaimed this week as “Teacher Appreciation Week.”  Across America students and community members have been talking, blogging, tweeting, writing, and sharing the many ways in which teachers have positively impacted lives.

I can still recall the names and faces of so many teachers at West Central (Maynard) who influenced me through the years and set me on a path to become an educator and administrator.  Linda Leach Marszalek was an amazing 3rd grade teacher with a gift for making her classroom an environment that supported highly-engaging learning activities.  Patricia Caballero taught nervous 7^th graders how to compose well-written 200-word compositions as well as to deliver them in front of our peers.  Helen Bitterman, Darrell Libke, Steve Milder…and several other high school teachers served as great mentors and positive influences.

Our Hoover teachers are impacting lives every day in a similar fashion.  Students have been writing brief messages on Post-It notes this week, which we’ve displayed in our main office window.  Here is a glimpse at what they’ve had to say about Hoover teachers:

“Mrs. Kisch always asks if I’m okay and if I’m doing okay.  I’m grateful to have her as a teacher.”

“Mrs. Hubrig made me realize that I like to do my hardest in her class, and she brought out the write in me.”

“Mrs. MK has helped my violin skills get better.  She also helped by letting me come in at lunch so I can practice.”

“Mr. Morgan helped me learn the life lesson that you get what you earn, not what you want or need.”

“Ms. Feldman and Mr. Henze are teaching me everything I need to know about music.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Van Wyk, for helping me with my public speaking skills.  I am not the most eager when it comes to it, but by you requiring it of me, I have improved.”

“Mrs. Pruis helped me with an equation that I thought was impossible.”

“Mr. Cole is an overall amazing person.”

“Mrs. (Sarah) Dierks has helped me through thick and thin.  It’s not every day you have a teacher like her.”

We are so proud of our Hoover teaching staff.  Please let them, and all teachers, know how much you appreciate what they do each day for our young people.

Dr. Dan Cox, Principal

Administrative Changes at Hoover

On Friday, May 3, several administrative changes across the Waterloo Community Schools were announced.  Two of the changes impact the administrative team at Hoover.

Steve Gillen, Assistant Principal and Athletic Director at Hoover since 2005, has been named as an Assistant Principal and head of the Health & Human Services Academy at East High School.  He replaces BJ Meaney, who recently accepted the position of Elementary Principal & Superintendent in Janesville.  Mr. Gillen is a graduate of East High School and was a long-time teacher and assistant wrestling coach at West High School before moving into administration.  Mike Fisher, current Assistant Principal at Hoover will assume the role of Athletic Director.

Susan Flodeen, Principal at Kingsley Elementary, will assume the role as an Assistant Principal at Hoover Middle School. She was an Assistant Principal at West before her four year leadership role at Kingsley and has been with the district for 23 years.  Mrs. Flodeen holds a Bachelor’s Degree in 7-12 English from the University of Northern Iowa.  She received her Masters of Education along with her Evaluator License, PreK-12 Administrative License, and PreK-Special Education Supervisor from Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Mrs. Flodeen has received many awards throughout the years for her role in education.

We welcome Mrs. Flodeen to the Hoover family and wish Mr. Gillen all the best at East!