Sitting around a large square conference table in the office at Roosevelt Elementary School, a group of former teachers reminisced about their time in education. They're all enjoying retirement now but represent over a hundred years of combined experience at Roosevelt and had many great stories and laughs to share.
Last month, Roosevelt Principal Dr. Kevin Dwyer invited back some retirees to see all the significant changes made at the school since their days as Tiger. It also gave Diane Oppenheim, Diane Macewicz, Mitzi Wade, and Sally Fortney to catch up and go down memory lane.
Dr. Dwyer showed the former Roosevelt teachers the new library, the kindergarten addition, and other improvements throughout the years.
The tour also included how Roosevelt has preserved some of its history, whether from a display in the front, made and curated for an Eagle Scout project highlighting important events at Roosevelt. Or a spot in a hallway that says “Office” in tiles above lockers, pinpointing where the old main office was located before it was moved and replaced by classrooms and lockers.
The biggest smiles came as each teacher found their old room and stepped inside to a place they called home for decades. Along the way, there were also plenty of familiar faces as former colleagues and lifelong friends reunited with tales of travels and grandkids.