Longtime educators say farewell

MILAN TWP. — Two longtime Edison Schools educators are calling it a career. After spending his entire 34-year career at Edison Schools, Jeff Goodwin is retiring from his principal position at Edison High School. Denise Reilly retires after 35 years in music. Both recently reflected on their careers, which included enriching the lives of many Edison students: Jeff Goodwin Goodwin started his career in 1990 at Edison Schools. He taught industrial arts and was an assistant principal for five years each before spending 24 years as the high school's principal. "I am going to miss the students and staff of Edison High School," Goodwin said. "I treasure the relationships I have made over the years." When it comes to what he accomplished during his time at the district, Goodwin said he is the most proud of the education given to students provided by the talented and passionate teachers and support staff. He highlighted the curricular offerings and the number of College Credit Courses students can take on campus. Goodwin said he is also proud of the school's extracurricular groups and their successes. "I am very proud of the consistent success of our student groups, especially the academic challenge team, drama, speech and debate and all of the athletic teams," Goodwin said. "We were also able to upgrade many of the academic and sports facilities at no cost to the taxpayers. The construction of the fieldhouse and science wing are two that I was very involved with." Even though Goodwin will miss his principal position, he said Nick Wenzel, the high school's incoming principal, will do a great job filling his shoes. "I am excited for him. He has great ideas and is very passionate about providing a positive high school experience for the students," Goodwin said. "I know he will lead the school to even new levels of success." Now that he is stepping away, Goodwin said he will have more time to fish on his boat and be with family. Goodwin and his wife, Lisa, both retired this year after being at Edison Schools for their entire careers. Lisa spent 35 years teaching at the elementary level. Together, they raised their two kids, Clay and Connor, in Milan. "This community is a wonderful place to raise your children, and we were proud to send our kids to Edison Local Schools," Goodwin said. After reflecting on the positives and successes in his career, Goodwin thought back on the aspects of his job that will not be missed. He said being an administrator is difficult. He said the challenges in education such as mental health issues, school violence, bullying, legislative changes and mandates can wear a person down and he has the utmost respect for those in the field. Goodwin left advice for Wenzel as he slots into the principal role. Goodwin said to find a healthy work and life balance. "With technology, you are never really away from work so you have to be intentional about taking time for yourself," Goodwin said. Denise Reilly Out of her 40 years working in education, Denise Reilly spent 35 with Edison High School's band and choir and also served as a music instructor at Edison Elementary. She also spent four years with Huron Schools' band and a year substitute teaching after graduating from Heidelberg University. Through her time at Edison, she had multiple opportunities to travel and make memories with her students. She and the band have performed in notable locations including Washington, D.C., along with local events including the Woollybear Festival. A personal performance Reilly is proud of was when she joined other band directors from across the country to play with Jon Waters, a nationally known educator and innovative director, in New York City. "A lot of things in education happen outside of the classroom," Reilly said. "Taking kids on trips promoted leadership and character building as far as helping students achieve things that weren't inside the room." Reilly used the example of traveling in an airport. She said she had students who had never been in a hotel room or gone through a security check before. It was a learning curve, but Reilly said they never had any problems traveling with the phenomenal students. "We have great kids at Edison. We really do. That's going to be my biggest part of retirement, not seeing them every day," she said. After four decades in education, Reilly said she is ready to spend more time with her family. She has a son and daughter who are both teachers in other areas of Ohio. Her daughter has two kids with one more on the way and her son recently gave her another grandchild. Her husband also recently retired. Reilly commented on the common opinion that teachers only work from August to May, but she said it was a full year of work with her students. However, she does not do it alone. "Over the years, I've had so many people help with the kids. The music boosters and the community were so incredible, I'll miss all those friendships," she said. With retirement comes excitement for Reilly's next chapter but also sadness over missing the students and her co-workers. She is going to miss students' enthusiasm about music, especially at the elementary level, where she worked with hundreds of kids every week. "It's a busy group of people," Reilly said. For the next teacher coming into her spot, Reilly said they may be faced with a learning curve when it comes to the community. She said the community is invested in what the band does. "The band is the community's band, the band belongs to the community. They're always there," she said.