Beloved Niwot teachers and administrator retiring

This year has been strange and challenging for educators everywhere, including in Niwot. In a time of unprecedented change and uncertainty, three Niwot teachers and one administrator are retiring and being honored for their service to the students and to the development of the greater community.

Two teachers are retiring from Niwot High School (NHS) this year, as are a kindergarten teacher and an administrator from Niwot Elementary School.

Kathy Benning served as registrar and attendance clerk at Niwot Elementary for 11 years, with a total of 25 years experience in education.

Mickki Soole was a kindergarten teacher at Niwot Elementary for 35 years.

NHS English teacher Sarah Pomranka was with the district for 17 years, after previously graduating from NHS in 1994. Her father, Howard Pomranka, also taught at NHS for 24 years.

Diane Broestl taught science at NHS for 29 years, and was the chairman of the science department for many years.

NHS class of 2020 co-valedictorian Anton Lavrouk spoke about his experience with Broestl's class a few weeks ago in the Courier, saying "Mrs. Broestl in chemistry-that completely shaped how I learn and how I study. It was a completely new experience; it was super difficult, and I feel like the commitment I put into that class taught me a whole lot."

According to Broestl, "The best part (of teaching) was the relationships with students, conversations we had, applauding student achievements."

Benning's experience working as an attendance clerk at Niwot Elementary was also positive, and she expected she would retire earlier, saying "I love Niwot and it took me three years of thinking I would retire before I actually did.

Benning continued, "That was because it was so hard to let go of what a wonderful place it was to work and all the wonderful people I worked with every day."

Pomranka, who taught English at NHS, had similar fond memories. "I have so many wonderful memories of teaching at Niwot High," she said, adding, "High school students are totally irreverent so any day that we laughed in class was a good day, and that happened often."

One of Pomranka's former students, Alejandro Garcia Fernandez, said, "Ms. Pomranka is one of the most, if not the most, caring teachers I have ever had. She takes the time to get to know each of her students and to make sure they feel seen in her classroom. Not only did she do an excellent job at teaching the content, but she made sure we understood how the lessons we learned from the novels and class could help us better understand our lives and the lives of those with different lived experiences."

Fernandez graduated from NHS and will be starting a Ph.D. program at Princeton this fall, including work addressing discrimination and education in differential employment and health outcomes.

The final retiring teacher, Mickki Soole, was known fondly as "Ms. Soole" to 35 years of kindergarten students at Niwot Elementary.

Soole said she "always looked forward to going to school every day to see the students. They made me smile and laugh every day. I've taught over 900 kids in all my years of teaching and what I loved is each and every class and student was different."

Her teaching has inspired at least one former student, and likely others, to pursue a track toward teaching kindergarten.

Lauren Cranny, who graduated from NHS in 2020, was in Soole's kindergarten class in 2007. She returned to Poole's classroom as a teaching assistant through high school and is planning to attend San Diego State University in the fall to pursue a career in education.

"I think over the 35 years it's crazy to think about all the children's lives that she's impacted, and how she's always so calm, she makes it look so easy." A highlight of Cranny's experience was Soole's individual birthday celebrations.

Soole would share a personalized birthday song for each student, often with other sorts of celebrations like a birthday crown, a birthday book, or a birthday poster. Cranny said, "It was a big thing. She made the kids feel special for their day."

Several of those retiring this year spoke about the challenge of COVID-19 and forced distance learning. Science teacher Broestl said, "This spring, switching to on-line learning was not ideal because science really needs to be hands-on. Students and I worked through it by email and I think they did remarkably well."

Pomranka said that dealing with the coronavirus this year was "really hard for me and really hard for the students. The interactions that teachers have with students are so valuable."

Benning, who as an administrator was not in the classroom, said, "Covid definitely changed everything for me this year, especially being the last year I would be working. However, I feel very certain that God's hand was in this timing for me, and I am looking forward to my next phase of life."

In these strange times, some of the retirees offered advice they would give to their successors.

"The new person who will be taking my place will be very supported and loved," said Benning. "That is just the kind of place it is. So I would say embrace the love and support and don't hesitate to say what you need. It will be a big challenge coming in after such a difficult year going out."

English teacher Pomranka said she would urge her successor to "create an environment of empathy in the classroom. Above all else, empathy builds a highly functioning classroom."

Beyond that, she said, "Be consistent, plan with the end in mind, but above all that, demonstrate empathy and the students will be engaged with what you teach them."

Soole's kind advice to future Niwot Elementary kindergarten teachers included the counsel to "Teach from your heart. Each student is special and unique and someone to be celebrated."

Each retiree deserves to be celebrated, as well.