Jeff Holland

Our first farewell is dedicated to Mr Holland, who has been a pillar of the Chatfield science department since 1999! Teaching both chemistry and honors chemistry, Mr. Holland has spent the last 34 years aiming to make formulas understandable to all his students. Mr Holland’s determination is unmatched as he arrives at school consistently at 6:15 to prepare for the day and to make chemistry as understandable as possible.

When asked, “What is one thing you are going to miss at Chatfield?”  Mr. Holland, without any hesitation, said: “The interactions with students. I love what I do”.

While he will miss his daily interactions with students, Mr Holland is ready for a change of pace and finding something new to focus on. He is most excited because he has always wanted to buy a farm and start raising a lot of animals.

Mr. Holland has one final piece of advice to all of us. “Find something you truly love to do and do it well because it will reward you in more ways than you can imagine.”

Thank you, Mr.Holland, for all the years you dedicated your time, energy, and passion to Chatfield. We appreciate everything you have done for not only the students. We hope you enjoy retirement… and that new farm of yours!

Michael Yansak

Another teacher we would love to shout out would be Mr. Yansak. Currently, he teaches Honors Geometry and AP Precalculus.

Over the years, he has taught almost every math class imaginable – Algebra 1, Geometry, Pre Algebra, Intro to Computers, Statistics, Discrete Math, Calculus A, Algebra 2, Trigonometry, Honors Trigonometry, and Honors Math Analysis. Now, what you probably don’t know is that he has also taught English 9, English 10, and Creative Writing!  This is some crazyyyyy number that Mr.Yansak has put up, and I mean that’s like 20 classes, wow! Mr. Yansak coached baseball for 15 years (6 years as head coach) and coached the senior girls’ annual powder puff team against Columbine for 10 years, back when the game was still a thing.  His teams were super successful! This is Mr. Yansak’s 30th year teaching at Chatfield, as he started teaching in the fall of 1996. Throughout his life, though, he has taught for 31 years because of the one year he taught college algebra at UNC. 

One thing he said he was going to miss about Chatfield was “The daily interactions with students and teachers, it’s good stuff”. 

One thing he will not miss in retirement is grading, which is probably the fairest response, because who wants to read all the different handwriting styles and all of the 400 students’ assignments! Mr.Yansak wants to leave us his final piece of wisdom as he exits his outstanding career as an educator.

“Don’t sweat the day-to-day stuff.  Whether we’re talking about academics, relationships, or life in general, there will be good days, and there will be bad days.  The laws of probability guarantee that.  So, enjoy the good, keep a positive attitude when it’s bad, and remember that nothing is ever quite as big a deal as it seems in real-time.”

Thank you, Mr.Yansak, for your dedication to Chatfield. All of us here definitely appreciate the time and commitment you give daily, and we hope that you find something to do that brings you passion and joy in your future.

Caryn Rodriguez

The third teacher we would like to give a shout out to is Mrs.Rodriguez!! Mrs. Rodriguez teaches Spanish 1 and Spanish 2 and has been teaching at Chatfield for 5 years. In total, she has been teaching for 22 years!!! She is a hard worker, and for only teaching at Chatfield for 5 years, she has made a huge impact on people around the school. 

One thing she did say she was going to miss was “The students, the laughter, the love, and the way that this place feels like everyone belongs. Our strength truly does lie in unity!  We really like how she made it about everyone and not just one group of people at the school. 

One of the things she did say she was looking forward to in retirement, though, is “I’ve been to 58 countries, but only 26 USA states, so I am looking forward to traveling all the remote corners of the USA in our new RV with my husband and my dog. Especially in Florida during the winter!  Also, I am very much looking forward to teaching Spanish to my small grandbabies!!” This is crazy because I could not tell you someone who has been not only to 26 U.S. states but ALSO to 58 countries. That is crazyyyyy! 

The final thing Mrs.Rodriguez wanted to share with everyone before she left was “To incorporate laughter and movement into your life daily. Record a ‘magic moment’ in a journal at the end of each day, no matter how small. Never stop learning. Collaborate. And when you feel like you are the only one, go out and find others. Don’t give up on your friends or on yourself.” We definitely agree, and that is a lot of teachable and learning moments from Mrs.Rodriguez.

Thank you so much, Mrs.Rodriguez, for giving so much of yourself to your students and colleagues here at Chatfield, we know that even though it was only 5 years those 5 years you were here it made an impact in so many people’s live around the school and we hope that you enjoy not only teaching your grandkids spanish, but also traveling not only around the world but the USA as well and we hope that you can get to all 50 states.

Paula Maresh

Certainly, last but not least, the final teacher who will be retiring from Chatfield this year is Mrs.Maresh. Mrs.Maresh has taught Biology, Earth Science, and Marine Biology in her 28 years of teaching, but the cool thing is that 24 of those years have been with us Chargers. That’s pretty cool that she got to stay in basically the same field of science for her whole career, because personal change is hard. 

One thing she said she was going to miss about Chatfield is “I will miss the community and family feeling at Chatfield.” I personally would too because I love the community of Chatfield. One amazing thing that I think many people at Chatfield would not know about Mrs. Maresh is, “I am retiring, but will be moving to Prescott, AZ.  There, I will continue to teach science at Prescott High School“. This is very cool because she not only gets to move to a new state, which is cool, but she is also going to a really warm state, and is still teaching. 

One thing she did say she was looking forward to in retirement was, “I look forward to being able to ride my bike year-round in warmer temperatures.  My BMX coach lives in Surprise, AZ, so I will be able to train with him and other great riders.” This is something really cool that not a lot of people get ot do because she not only gets to teach but also gets to go somewhere where she can do her hobby all year round with her coach as well. 

The final thing that Mrs.Maresh wanted to leave Chatfield kids before she left was “Enjoy the students! That is why we teach”. I think this is some great advice for not only teachers but also kids, too, because if everyone enjoys each other, people would have more fun not only in life but also at school as well.

Thank you, Mrs.Maresh, for the 24 years. We not only hope you enjoy Arizona and teaching there, but we also hope that you find plenty of time to enjoy dirt biking and that you win a bunch of races in your future.

Thank you to all 4 of these dedicated teachers who are retiring this year from Chatfield. Students and staff all hope that you enjoy retirement and wherever you go, be that dirt biking in Arizona, traveling the USA, or even starting your own farm and raising animals, RVing, or working at a golf course that you remember that you are #ChattyForLife.  Don’t ever forget that Our Strength Lies In Unity and the memories, as well as the impact you are leaving on the students you have taught, will not be forgotten. From the bottom of every Chargers’ heart, we say farewell to all 4 of you and may you enjoy the start of the next part of your life.