Dr. David Hopson
This past week I was honored to attend, and speak at, a retirement party for Steve Estelle, a long-time teacher and coach for the Gateway School District. What I noticed, and what many of the guests commented on, was the phenomenal turnout of current and former teachers, staff and administrators, and the ongoing feeling of ‘family’ that permeates the Gateway District. The familiarity of all these folks, the catching up on each other’s lives and the good-natured recall of activities that Mr. Estelle was involved in made for a relaxed, supportive, and respectful evening.
Like many of our past and current staff, Steve attended Gateway as a student and spent most of his professional life in the district. It was also very interesting to learn how many couples at this retirement party were, like Steve and his wife Marcia, graduates of Gateway who met and began dating while Gateway students. Many still live and work in the district providing the continuity and experience necessary for the success of our small towns. The key is that this continuity, especially for graduates who now live and teach in the district, is vital to understanding our students and to reaching a level of dialogue with families who have lived out here for generations, which can be harder for other staff to attain.
In addition to the feeling of community, it was nice to interact with and see so many Gateway retirees and notice how well they appear to have taken to retirement. We see some of these same individuals still volunteering in our schools, working as substitute teachers when needed, and tutoring students, even in retirement. Combined with Steve’s family, the turnout was a good cross-section of the greater Gateway community.
Although focused on Steve’s accomplishments, there appeared to be several themes that stood out for me throughout the evening. These were focused on providing experiences for students that went far beyond standardized tests such as MCAS, on meeting the needs of children, and of supporting each other (some of these were related to Steve’s long service to the teachers’ union). While academic activities were often mentioned, the key moments revolved around Steve’s support of students outside of the classroom, often revolving around his years as a coach throughout his Gateway career.
This evening was a reminder of what makes Gateway so special for staff and students. That, no matter what the day-to-day challenges may be, despite pressure from the state and federal levels to sanitize and homogenize education, regardless of the emphasis on MCAS and measuring student growth only through standardized tests, our staff rise above these distractions and provide a safe, supportive, and caring environment for both our students and themselves. To be honest, isn’t this the key factor in creating an environment that provides opportunities for students to succeed in growing, maturing, and figuring out how to be successful in real life?
