After working at the school since its opening 21 years ago, both math teacher Laurie Deuschle and secretary Edie Waye choose to retire at the end of the school year.

While she acknowledges she will miss aspects of her job, Waye believes that the timing of her retirement made the most sense for her.

“It’s sad, yet I think it’s time. My kids have been on me for the last two years to do this, but I didn’t want to leave when COVID-19 hit and I couldn’t tell people goodbye and the school year was not ending right,” Waye said. “Even this year it’s a little bit crazy.”

Similarly, Deuschle’s family affected her decision.

“I thought I would probably go another five years. But then, the granddaughter comes,” Deuschle said. “So you think, ‘what’s important? Where do I want to start some other memories?’”

Waye, who started first as a para and then moved to a secretarial position, reminisces about her favorite experience during her time at the school.

“My favorite part about my job was the kids, the teachers and the staff. It’s just a fun place to work, never a dull moment,” Waye said. “One of the memories that I will not forget is the time I was in [science teacher Eric] Thomas’ Field Biology class and a snake was missing. I am deathly afraid of snakes. We did find it that block quite a ways from its cage.”

After she retires, Deuschle will work for her husband’s company and spend time with her four-month-old granddaughter.

“I get to watch [my granddaughter] one day a week; that will be fun,” Deuschle said. “I’ll also be a runner for my husband’s business: Kansas City Remodel. When one of the crew needs something you don’t want to pull them from the job. Instead, I can be the runner and go get whatever it is that they need and bring it to them.”

Waye also plans to spend more time with her family while furthering her education.

“I’m going to travel, I’m going to spend some quality time with my aging parents and my mother in law and then I’m going to finish my biblical counseling degree,” Waye said.

Deuschle acknowledges the difficulty she faces in retiring.

“When you love what you do and you love where you’re at, it’s hard to leave,” Deuschle said.