Retirees came back to Benton Community on the first day of school for the staff. Superintendent Dr. James Bieschke introduced the retired staff and said the following.

Today I want to honor a few of the people who have helped to establish and carry on the great legacy of Benton Community! These people have mentored, guided, and bled blue and gold for this district.

They are teachers, custodians, bus drivers, food service workers, associates, nurses, secretaries, maintenance, and administrators who have retired from Benton Community, but will always be Bobcats!

These retirees were invited back today so that we might honor their great work, but also learn from them. In a moment we will leave the auditorium and you will go to the assigned room of the card you received. There you will be able to hear from the retirees assigned to you what their experience at Benton was. We hope this time will be rewarding and inspiring for each of you.

What I think about the most when I see these Retirees is the relationships they built with students, parents, and the community! The fun these people liked to have while being professional in all they did. The relationships were what made it special. Their ability to be on the same page towards a common goal made it special. Their ability to collaborate with each other and put students first made it special!

The opportunities our students experienced and the guidance they provided for all students will never be forgotten!

Many of us in this auditorium today had the great opportunity to learn from these individuals! From all employment groups I think we probably have stories that make you smile. If you are new to our district or maybe new enough that haven’t had the opportunity to meet many of these fine people, I hope today you get a sense of their work and their legacy!

On behalf of the district I want to personally thank these individuals for coming back today to share their experience and their knowledge with all of us!

Retirees – I feel so fortunate to have you here today to share in my first general assembly with staff as Superintendent.

No matter the position you held in our district I have learned so much from each of you and thank you for your guidance, friendships, collaboration and support over the years!