After 30 years teaching in the Mid-Prairie Community School District, high school English teacher Sue Schweinfurth will be retiring at the end of the school year. Friends, family and colleagues gathered at the Mid-Prairie Board of Education meeting on Monday, Feb. 8 to celebrate and honor Schweinfurth and her lasting contributions to the district.

High School principal Jay Strickland said Schweinfurth has always been a “selfless teammate,” by covering classes or subbing on bus routes, but this year she stepped up even higher; when she heard the district was facing a bus driver shortage, she agreed to drive a full-time route on top of teaching a full schedule.

“I met with her the other day and was expecting her to be a little grumpy about that, but she really wasn’t,” Strickland said. “She said, ‘Yes, it’s been harder, it’s been difficult, it’s been a lot of rushing around,’ but she’s done it… she has a big-time servant and leadership mentality.”

Transportation director Teresa Hartley said one of Schweinfurth’s defining traits is her positive attitude.

“I can’t tell you how many times we’ve called her with a 10-minute warning and said, ‘Hey Sue, we need you to drive a bus,’ and she was there,” Hartley said. “There were no questions asked, it was, ‘Yep, I’m on my way.’”

Hartley met Schweinfurth long before she started driving a bus, however— Schweinfurth was her teacher in high school.

“I remember that I probably wasn’t the nicest student in the classroom, but she always had patience with me,” Hartley said. “She always made you feel like she cared about you when you were in her classroom, which as a student is something I’ll always remember.”

Many of Schweinfurth’s colleagues spoke about her calming presence. Fellow English teacher Erin Cavanagh said she can always rely on Schweinfurth for support during stressful situations.

“Her gift is just connecting with people, listening to us, working with us, making us feel better. That is such a gift and a skill and I don’t know if she’s even fully aware of that,” Cavanagh said. “She’ll say, ‘You know what? It’s going to be OK. And it’s OK if it’s not OK right now, because it will be OK eventually.’ And I’m really going to miss her a lot.”

Schweinfurth’s positive influence has perhaps been felt the most during her last year. The pandemic has changed education so drastically, but many Mid-Prairie staff members said Schweinfurth’s support over the past year has helped them weather the storm.

Superintendent Mark Schneider closed out the remarks before Schweinfurth was presented with a plaque and the board took action to accept her resignation:

“You’ve been a steady force. When everything else seems chaotic, you were the calming force, you were the one that said it’s going to be OK, that we can get through this,” Schneider said, speaking directly to Schweinfurth. “And I’m sure you told people at the beginning of COVID, “It’s going to be OK, we’re going to get through this.”

“You have been a very, very loyal Mid-Prairie teacher. You’re from the community, but it runs deeper than that. You do have black and gold going through your veins. You always have the district’s best interest at heart, versus your own. Everything you’ve done— you offered to substitute bus drive because you knew we needed bus drivers. You didn’t have to do that, but you did. All those little things, and big things, that you’ve done are very much appreciated.”