Medford school district celebrates retired educators

The Medford Area Public School District (MAPSD) honored recent retirees during a banquet held May 15 at Centennial Community Center in Stetsonville.

In 2024, MAPSD had the following 10 retirees who combined had more than 207 years of service to education. All the retirees attended the banquet to receive their plaques from the Department of Public Instruction and a clock hand-made by retired educator Bruce Pawlowicz.

Retirees for 2024 were: Carol Couillard, 31 years; Becky Goodrich, 22 years; Jacqueline Grunewald, 35 years; Lisa Kay Jiskra, 37 years; Tammy L. Lange, 15 years; Barb Noeldner, 15 years; Garett Larry Shipman, 31 years; Pat Sullivan, 15 years; Sherry Slocum, 2.5 years; Shawn Sullivan, 4 years.

Profiles of each of the retirees are as follows: Carol Couillard has been in education for 31 years; all of those years in Medford. She has worked at MAES and SES. She has taught Pre- Kindergarten, Kindergarten and 2nd Grade. She is currently a PreK Teacher at SES. Carol is married to Mike, who is currently working as a Plumbing & Heating Contractor. They have two daughters and one son. Jewelia and Memo Rodriguez live in Donna, Texas and they have three children. Kayla and Justin Weber live in Northfield, Minn. and they have two children. Grant and Tasha Couillard live in Rib Lake and they have three children. What Carol likes best about her job is watching the children grow and learn and being a “safe place” for her students. She will miss the smiles and hugs from the kids. What Carol likes the least about her job is all of the illnesses that the kids bring to school and recess time in the winter. What she will miss the least is inservice and PLC. Her advice to colleagues is when you have a difficult student or students, try to remember it’s not usually their fault and there is a reason why they behave the way they do. Carol’s retirement plans are to move to the lake house and travel. Hopefully see the grandkids more and be a winter Texan.

Becky Goodrich has worked in the Medford School District for 22 years. She has worked at MAES, SES, MAMS, MASH and currently at the district office as an Executive Assistant in Human Resources. She is married to Randy and they have been married for 22 years. Randy works at Harley-Davidson Motor Company in Tomahawk and is also retiring August 1. They have two daughters. Samantha who is married to Brent and they live in Winter. Sam is an R.N./Assistant Clinic Manager at North Lakes Community Clinic in Hayward. They have blessed us with two beautiful grandsons. Grant is 5 years old and Gavin will be 3 years old in July. Sheyenne is dating Devin and they live in Abbotsford. They have one son, Liam, who is 7 years old and they are also blessing them with another grandchild in October. Sheyenne is a Customer Service/Office Manager at Polywood Fabrication in Wausau. What Becky likes best about her job is helping others, the variety, switching gears often and that there has never been any down time. What Becky will miss the most are her co-workers, the friendships and the shenanigans. What Becky likes the least about her job are policies, procedures, FMLA and labor laws. What she will miss the least is the hour drive to and from work and bad weather. Her advice to colleagues is treat everyone equal and live life to the fullest. Becky’s retirement plans are to take in as many sunrises and sunsets on Somo Lake with Randy, take more motorcycle rides, spend more time with family and friends especially, the grandchildren and to travel. It has been a pleasure working in the Medford School District and she wishes everyone the very best.

Jacqueline Grunewald has been in education for 40 years; 35 of those years in Medford. Jacque taught in parochial schools in Crookston, Minn., St. Paul, Minn. and Medford. She also subbed in the Minneapolis/St. Paul School District for one year. She worked at MAES, MAMS and SES. Jacque is currently a Grade 5-8 Reading Interventionist. She is married to Bill and they have been married 36 years. He is an attorney. They have two daughters. Her oldest daughter, Sadie, is an attorney in Chicago. She is married to Joe Rose who is a Senior Investment Analyst for LivCor. They just had their first child and Jacque’s first grandchild, Cecilia Rose. Jacque’s youngest daughter Hannah is a Fiscal Analyst for the Minnesota Senate. Her husband Dan Noeldner is in IT with a company through Raytheon. They live in New Brighton, Minn. What Jacque likes best about her job are the teachers she works with and the students she teaches. She will miss the memorable moments with the kids like when getting together for an assembly, a field trip or helping them reach an “ah-ha” moment. That feeling is priceless! Her least favorite thing about her job is the extra paperwork and PDU’s. She will not miss trying to remember all of the acronyms. Her advice to colleagues is don’t let work take over and make sure you make time for things outside of the classroom. She wishes that she would’ve been better organized and used her time more wisely. Jacque’s retirement plans are to hopefully do a lot more traveling throughout the whole year, not just during summer break. She would like to get back into oil/ watercolor painting, making stained glass and other art projects. She would also like to spend more time with her granddaughter and future grandkids. Jacque is thankful for being able to experience teaching all grades from Kindergarten through 8th grade.

Lisa Kay Jiskra has been in education for 37 years; all of those years in Medford and at MAES. She is currently a 3rd grade teacher. Lisa is married to Gerry and they will be married for 27 years this summer. He is retired but worked in mortgage and title work. They have one son, Matthew, who is 18 and will be graduating from MASH this year. He is planning on joining the Marines. What Lisa likes best about her job is the fun interactions with the kids. What she will miss the most are the kids and friends she has at the school. What Lisa likes the least about her job is meetings, other than with the parents. What she will miss the least is filling out forms and paperwork. Her advice to colleagues is when you run into your former students, as adults, they will never bring up that outstanding math lesson. They’ll remind you about something funny that happened or what you talked with them about. Lisa’s retirement plans are to travel, sleep in late and slowly enjoy a cup of coffee over a good book.

Tammy L. Lange has worked in education for 15 years, 8 months; all of those years in Medford. She worked as a longterm substitute until being hired full-time. She has worked at MAMS and SES. She