Six set to retire at Royal Valley
When the final school bell rings Friday signaling summer vacation at USD 337 Royal Valley, it will also mark the end of the careers of six teachers and staff members who are retiring with a combined 123 years of service to the district.
Retirees include Kenny Holthaus (34 years), John Nottingham (31 years), Becky Long (28 years), Joanne Berns (13 years), Aleta Bullard (12 years) and Wayne Duncan (five years).
Kenny Holthaus
Kenny Holthaus, who is a graduate of Royal Valley High School, has taught a variety of classes at both the middle school and high school.
Holthaus was born in Holton, and his family moved outside of Mayetta when he was nine years old. After graduating from RVHS, he received both a bachelor of arts degree and a master’s degree from Washburn University.
“I decided to pursue a career in teaching because I highly respected many of the teachers throughout my educational years,” Holthaus said. “Coach Allen, Coach Simecka, Mrs. Frazier, Mrs. Waller, Mr. Moser and many others had a great influence on my decision to become a teacher.”
His first teaching job was at Royal Valley Middle School in Mayetta in the fall of 1981 where he taught reading and literature for 11 years. For 23 years, he worked at the high school in Hoyt, teaching World History, Current Events, American Problems, First Americans, U.S. History, Economics, Government and College Government.
At RVHS, Holthaus served as sponsors for the freshman class, Scholar’s Bowl and Student Council. He also coached cross country, football, basketball and track.
“I wanted to teach at Royal Valley because the people in this district are very friendly, and they constantly strive to improve the schools in our communities,” he said. “I also wanted to teach here because I knew that my children would get a great education in this school district.”
Holthaus said the best part of teaching at RV has been the lifelong friendships he has developed with the students and other staff members at the school.
“Almost every time I go somewhere in Jackson County, I see some of my former students or fellow school employees, and we have a nice friendly chat.”
The biggest change that he’s seen in education since his first year in the classroom is the increase use of technology.
“I remember typing up tests on special paper that was to be used to run through the mimeograph machine,” he said. “If you weren’t careful, your clothing would have blue stains all over. Today, most of the students’ work is turned into the teacher by using their Chromebook. I feel that soon pencils and paper will go by the wayside just like the old chalkboards.”
Holthaus and his wife, Kaye, have two grown daughters, Ruth and Donna, and three grandsons, Cooper, 3; Eli, 1; and Parker, 1. Kaye is set to retire from Blue Cross/Blue Shield next year and the couple plans to travel throughout the United States and then some foreign countries, as well as spend more time with their grandsons.
“I think what I will miss most about leaving education are all of the smiles I see on people’s faces throughout the school day,” he said. “The smile on the face of a student who got an A on a test, the smile on the face of an athlete who just set a personal record or broke a school record and even the smile on a teacher’s face when the final bell rings.”
John Nottingham
Long-time band director at both the middle school and high school, John Nottingham recently announced his retirement from the district.
Nottingham grew up in the small town of Monrovia and graduated from Atchison County Community High School in Effingham and Kansas State University.
“My band director, Paul Lundgren, had a big influence on me, and, without him, I would not have not become a teacher,” Nottingham said.
His first and only teaching job has been at Royal Valley when he started in the district in 1984.
As band director, Nottingham taught instrumental music to students in grades five through 12. Five years ago, Nottingham added a jazz band to the school’s curriculum, giving a select group of students a taste of jazz music and improvisation.
Nottingham has led members of the high school band on numerous band trips throughout the years, including Nashville, Branson and Dallas, Texas. He also served as the freshman class sponsor for a number of years.
“The best thing about being a teacher is working with young people and watching them grow into young adults,” he said. “One of the biggest attractions for me to work for Royal Valley was the fact that it is multiethnic.”
Nottingham said he plans to continue to work in some capacity after he retires. He and his wife, Becky, have three children, Daniel and his wife, Abagail, who have one son, Dale; Alex, who is 22 and is a student at K-State; and Emily, who is 18 and will be attending K-State this fall.
“I will miss the students, parents and staff at Royal Valley,” he said. “Spending my professional career with them has been a positive and rewarding experience for me. I would also like to thank the Royal Valley community for allowing me the opportunity to work with their children. RV will always be a special memory for me.”
Becky Long
Becky Long has spent 25 years as a kindergarten teacher at Royal Valley and three years teaching at the elementary school library.
Long was born in Topeka and lived on a farm on the Old Meriden Road in rural Shawnee County. She graduated from Seaman High School in 1969.
She graduated from Washburn University was a degree in elementary education in 1985. She received a master’s degree in early childhood curriculum and instruction in 2000 from Emporia State University.
“I grew up knowing I wanted to be a teacher,” Long said. “I would line up my dolls and stuffed animals and use the end of the family’s black piano as a chalkboard to ‘be a teacher.’”
After graduating from Washburn, Long taught third grade at Jefferson West from 1985 to 1986. She was then a substitute teacher at RV for a year before she was hired full time in 1987 to teach in the RVES library. She began teaching kindergarten in 1990.
“I wanted to teach at Royal Valley because it was a small, rural community,” she said. “I knew from my three years in the library that it was a community full of caring people. I fell in love with the children, the parents, the administration, the staff and the community.”
Long said her favorite part of being a teacher has been watching the children “light up” when they understand something or learn a new skill.
“It is still amazing to me how much our youngest students learn in their kindergarten year,” she said.
The biggest changes Long said she’s experienced at her time at RV has been with the curriculum.
“Kindergarten is no longer a year to learn to sit and listen to a story, tie your shoes and find your way around the school,” she said. “The children work hard to learn all subject areas (reading, writing, math, science and social studies).”
In her retirement, Long said she will be busy working on scrapbooking, tracing her family’s history and improving her golf game.
“However, I will never be too busy to give back to the district I love so much,” she said. “I plan to help out wherever I can next year as a volunteer at RVES and may sub some as well. I also plan to spend a lot of time with my family both in Topeka and Texas.”
Long has adult children, Mark and Dawna. Mark lives in McKinney, Texas, with his wife, Anya, and their children, Katherine and Matthew. Dawna and her two children, Kloie and Jayni, live with Long in Topeka.
“I will miss the children the most,” she said of her retirement. “I can't imagine not seeing their bright and smiling faces every day and hearing ‘I love you Mrs. Long.’ I will miss seeing their excitement at each new thing they learned or explored.”
Joanne Berns
Joanne Berns is retiring as a parent educator for the district’s Parents As Teachers program. She has served in that role for 13 years.
Aleta Bullard
Aleta Bullard is retiring this school year after 12 years of service as a bus driver for Royal Valley schools.
Wayne Duncan
School bus driver Wayne Duncan is also retiring. He has been with the district for five years.
