Beloved Crestomere Educational Assistant retires after 30 years of literacy support with Wolf Creek School Division.
After three decades of dedication to student learning and growth, Kathy Bogath is saying farewell to Crestomere School.
Bogath, an Educational Assistant whose last day is Thursday, (June 26), is retiring after 30 years of service, 27 of those spent at Crestomere School.
“I worked at the Alix Colony School for two years, and then for a year I was what I called the ‘travelling speech lady,’” she said with a laugh. “I travelled between schools in the division, working with kids who needed help with speech and language.”
From there, she settled into her longtime role at Crestomere, focusing on literacy intervention and student support.
“They would send me kids who needed a little more help, and I would find ways to get through to them,” she said. “I help them understand in the way that works best for them.”
Throughout her career, Bogath has seen students grow up in the small Crestomere School, and in some cases return as parents for the next generation of students.
“Some of my original students now have kids in high school,” she said. “It’s a unique situation not a lot of people get the opportunity to teach both the parents and their children.”
Working in a Kindergarten to Grade 9 school, she said, has allowed her to witness students grow year after year.
“I have so many memories here at Crestomere,” she said. “I’ve had great support from colleagues and administrators, and we’ve created so many great things together.”
That includes the school’s vegetable garden and outdoor classroom, passions of hers and initiatives she was proud to help contribute to.
Recently during a recognition assembly and community potluck her colleagues surprised her with a custom-made bench complete with a plaque to be placed in the school’s naturalization area.
The plaque says, ‘A place to connect with nature, and it makes my heart happy' a quote of hers that co-workers were able to coax out secretly.
“I’ve been very overwhelmed, but so grateful for their thoughtfulness.” she said, and although she’s retiring, she has no plans to slow down.
“I can’t just not do anything I have to do something,” she said.
She hopes to spend more time with her seven grandchildren and also plans to travel with her husband.
“We have plans to go back to the East Coast,” she said. “And I have a really big garden and I'm kind of one of these old fashioned, we garden, and I can and freeze food”
Scrapbooking and home projects are also on her to-do list, and she’s considering a new role in the education system.
“I’m going to run for school trustee in Wolf Creek,” she said. “I’m going to throw my hat in the ring and see what happens.”
Still, saying goodbye to the classroom won’t be easy.
“I’m really going to miss the kids,” she said. “I’m overwhelmed with all of this but I’m just so grateful for the time I’ve had here. Crestomere has been a second home.”
She credits the supportive community and her colleagues, many of whom she now calls friends.
“The community is amazing — so supportive,” she said. “I’ve had great colleagues to work with, and I call them my second family. I’ve truly been blessed to work in such a great place.”
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