Nine retiring Laconia teachers recognized for their excellence, dedication

LACONIA — Teachers in the city’s public school system are a dedicated and hearty breed, if the group of veteran teachers who are retiring at the end of this school year is any indication.

The nine education professionals who are ending their careers have an average of 31 years in the schools. Most are classroom teachers, while one is a nurse and another a guidance counselor.

Superintendent Steve Tucker calls them an “elite group.”

“These are not just people who come in to do the job from 7 o’clock to 2:30 or whenever the school day ends in their building,” Tucker said during a recent School Board meeting when the nine were formally recognized. “They committed their lives to the Laconia School District.”

Added together, their longevity totals 279 years, Tucker noted.

Their average tenure is twice the national average. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, school teachers spend 15.3 years in the profession on average.

The retirees are Deb Tivey, Greg Schneberger, Ann Peterson, Ann Nix, Deb Matsumoto, Marie Liimatainen, Sharon Frick, Constance Dwinal, and Martha Jane Connelly.

Beth Tivey has been teaching in the Laconia School District for 39 years. She started at Elm Street School, and then moved to Laconia Middle School, where she has been a sixth-grade language arts teacher for many years.

Niko Condodemetraky, one of Tivey’s recent students, who wrote in a short thank-you note read to the School Board, said Tivey was “encouraging and patient, always helpful and made me feel like everything would be OK.”

In addition to her classroom and extracurricular duties, Tivey has been president of the Laconia Teachers Association, the teachers’ union, for more than 20 years.

“She has served in that position with grace, and with great ambition for the sake of the district,” Tucker said.

Martha Jane Connelly has taught science at Laconia Middle School for 26 years. Connelly has also been a mentor for new teachers and adviser to the Student Council, as well as coach of the cheerleading team, and has been involved with the ski team, among other duties.

School Principal Dr. Alison Bryant read a letter from Lex Condodemetraky, one of Connelly’s students, who said, “Her success and love for teaching will never be forgotten.”

Constance Dwinal is a speech pathologist who has worked in the Laconia school system since 1985, mostly at Woodland Heights School. In addition to working with individual students, for the last 12 years Dwinal has offered a sign language course for any interested Woodland Heights students.

“She worked hard to make kids good communicators,” school Principal Eric Johnson said.

Sharon Frick has taught visual arts at Laconia Middle School for 38 years. During all those years she also served as the adviser to the students who worked on the school’s yearbook.

Marie Liimatainen has spent nearly three-quarters of her nursing career as a school nurse, and this year marks 29 years in the Laconia system. She has been chair of the School Wellness Committee for many years, as well as a member of the district’s wellness committee and safety committee. Some of her other responsibilities have included teaching first aid and being an American Heart Association CPR instructor.

Tucker praised Liimantainen for her professionalism in supporting students and families during the COVID pandemic.

Deb Matsumoto has worked as a special education teacher in the Laconia district for 14 years. She has been involved in the district’s accreditation process. She has also evaluated student applications for the Junior Honor Society and been a judge for student submissions for the National History Day competition. She has also served on the committee that looks at challenges faced by students who have a sensory impairment, such as poor eyesight or hearing.

One of her students called in on Zoom to say, “I was lucky to have her. She was super kind.”

Ann Nix has been a guidance counselor at Elm Street School since 2000. During that time she has not only worked with students, but also the school staff, the families of students and the community at large.

School Principal Tara Beauchemin said that Nix has played a major role in bringing trauma-informed care into Elm Street’s classrooms, “so that we all understand what children need when they are going through crisis.”

Ann Peterson started working at Woodland Heights School 32 years ago as a secretary in the office. Six years later she became a fifth-grade math teacher and continued in that role until five years ago, when she moved to the Middle School to become a sixth-grade science and math teacher. Developing working relationships with students and fellow teachers have been essential in Peterson’s career.

Greg Scheberger has worked in the School District for the past 12 years. In addition to his classroom responsibilities, he has been the adviser for the National Junior Honor Society at the Middle School, and an adviser for the school’s Chess Club. In his free time he enjoys gardening and has often shared the bounty of his garden with members of the Middle School staff.

Tucker pointed out the wide variety of roles that each of the retirees has had during their careers.

“These are not just teachers. They are parents. They are coaches, mentors, and leaders,” he said.