Two teachers will make their final exit from the high school/middle school campus as retiring faculty and one will come back part time for next school year.

Middle school communication arts teacher Zane McCubbin, middle school science teacher Peggy Switzner and high school Spanish teacher Donna Crouch will take retirement, but Crouch will teach three hours of Spanish for the high school next school year.

Peggy Switzner has taught at Warsaw for 29 years. Switzner began her teaching career here after graduating from Missouri Southern State.

Switzner came to Warsaw as a physical education and health teacher in 1986 in grades 8 – 12. This changed to girls p.e. and health in grades 6-12 once the middle school was built. Twelve years ago, she I switched to teaching science in the middle school. At various times throughout her career at Warsaw, she  also coached Jr. High, JV, and Varsity volleyball, seventh and eighth grade girls basketball, and Jr. High and Varsity girls track.

Switner’s goal as a teacher was to inspire the students in the subjects she taught and instill  the same passion she felt.

“I hope I have made as much as an impact on my students as they have for me,” Switzner said.

“I will miss her because students wont get to experience what I had with her,” freshman Hannah Chapman said.

Switner’s plans after retirement are to do volunteering with her registered dog Boone, being a grandma, and substitute teaching.

“I would like to go into the elementary schools to help with students who have reading difficulties as a part of a READ program. Research has shown improvements in reading skills with students who read to animals as a part of their remedial reading,” Switner said.

Zane McCubbin has taught at Warsaw for 21 years and graduated from WHS. She went to Southwest Baptist.

McCubbins first teaching job was Lincoln elementary where she taught fourth graders.

McCubbin’s plans after retirement are to volunteer, do church work, and mow the yard.

While McCubbin taught at Warsaw, she loved the good times, hated the bad. McCubbin’s goal was to help kids become productive, to succeed, and to love them.

“Love the kids, watch them succeed, and hope they become productive in life,” McCubbin said.

“She was a good teacher because she cared about every student the same and didn’t pick favorites,” junior Devon Parish said.

One thing McCubbin will miss about teaching is “pestering and aggravating kids and watching them become successful in life,” McCubbin said.

Donna Crouch taught Spanish at Warsaw for 14 years. Throughout her career, she taught at Clinton for four years, Green Ridge for a year, and Lincoln for seven years.

Throughout teaching at WHS, Crouch’s highlight has been helping students to experience different cultures. She said she has liked “exposing students to various cultures during our trips to World Fest and having former students tell me that when they went to Spanish speaking countries that could communicate.  Also, it’s rewarding to have students tell that when they took Spanish in college it was an easy class because they had already learned a lot of the material in high school,” Crouch said.

Crouch enjoyed a lot of things while teaching here at WHS, such as working with her colleagues and the students, introducing the differences and similarities of other cultures, and when students grasp a new aspect of a the language.

“I enjoy when I can tell  that students grasp a new aspect of the language.  I enjoy introducing students to other cultures to make them aware of both differences and similarities between various countries,”Crouch said.

Crouch will not be giving up teaching altogether, but will be teaching three hours of Spanish at WHS in her retirement.

“ I think I will have the best of both worlds,” Crouch said.  “I appreciate our board for allowing me to continue being a part of WHS.”

Three other teachers have announced that they will not be returning to WHS next year, science teacher Dustin Daniels, P.E. teacher and football coach Kasey Tittlemier, and P.E. teacher and basketball coach Jared Wallace. Tittlemeier has accepted a contract in Clinton and Wallace will be an Agriculture Education teacher in Skyline.

“I had a good experience with good people, and good kids, and I enjoyed teaching and coaching,” Wallace said.