Park County School District 1 said goodbye to a collective 128 years of experience when the 2023-2024 school year ended and recognized five longtime staff members from Powell High School, Powell Middle School and Parkside Elementary School.

Retirees were honored individually during a May 14 school board meeting by the boardmembers, who shook each exiting staff member’s hand and presented them with a gift for their years of service.

See a future edition for longer profiles on Wendy Smith and Shelley Heny, the two retirees with the longest tenure at the district. 

Wendy Smith

Smith has worked for 35 years in Park County School District 1, serving 32 consecutive years as a science teacher at Powell High School. Smith taught environmental science and was known for her field trips.

“She has done a great job of connecting to students’ interests and experiences, helping them gain a greater appreciation of the people and resources in northwest Wyoming,” Powell High Principal Tim Wormald said.

Shelley Heny

Heny has served in multiple roles over her 32 year tenure at Powell High, first as a freshman English teacher, then in a Title 1 position and finally as a supervising teacher for the Powell High School Online Learning Center.

“If Shelley knows what’s going on, if she recognizes that there’s a student in need, she bends over backwards to help them …  she’s done a great job with that,”  Wormald said.

Marci Brauchie

Brauchie has worked for 28 years as an English teacher at Powell Middle School and has a total of 33 years of experience in public schools. Brauchie is also a board certified teacher and a former special education teacher.

“If you go to her class, you see teaching and learning. You look at the results, she is part of a group that delivers top five results year after year,” Powell Middle School Principal Kyle Rohrer said.

He added she has a passion for teaching drama as an elective class and had also taken on cheer and dance. She has passed off the extracurriculars and asked Rohrer to take good care of her baby, he joked. 

Rita Bjornestad

Rita Bjornestad has worked for 22 years at Parkside Elementary School and retired as a third grade teacher after having previously taught first grade. 

“The first thing that comes to my mind with Rita is how big her heart is for kids. She has a big heart for kids. She’s one teacher in our building that welcomes … the orneriest kids in her classroom with open arms. And I’ve seen her numerous times give these kiddos second chances and third chances …her heart for kids is huge. She’s always willing to go the extra mile to make a connection with the kids.”

Leslie McPherson

McPherson worked at Powell High School as its librarian for the past 11 years. Throughout that time she has supported students and staff by helping them with resource and technology needs.

“She’s willing to listen to her colleagues, [she] shows genuine care and compassion for them … the PHS Library is a hub. And Leslie has been the nucleus of that space. She has been a great asset to PHS and we’re gonna miss her,” Wormald said.