Storie proud of Westlawn (12/9/04)

DUNKIRK — Next week, Gary Storie will say good-bye to his slice of heaven.

“I have said that my career is a journey, but I didn’t know I was going to go through a slice of heaven on the way,” Storie said about his five and a half years as Westlawn Elementary School principal.

Dec. 17 is Storie’s last day at Westlawn.

“There will be lots of tears,” he said earlier this week about his last day. “But don’t think for a second that I won’t stay in touch, because I plan to.”

Storie announced in November that he accepted a job as superintendent of the Rockville School Corporation in Rockville.

This small community with approximately 1,000 students, located in Parke County about 25 miles northeast of Terre Haute, has one elementary school and one junior/senior high school.

“It is hard for me to leave Westlawn knowing what a wonderful place it is. My time here has been really special,” Storie said.

His most memorable moments include the school receiving the 2004 International Reading Association Exemplary Reading Program Award for Indiana in the Spring 2004 and a $340,000 I-READ Grant in 2002.

“We were flagged as a failing school by the (Indiana Department of Education),” Storie said. In 1999, only 58 percent of third graders at Westlawn passed the language arts part of ISTEP Plus tests, but scores increased dramatically in 2003, after one year in the I-READ program.

Storie said he also remembers the numerous hours school staff spent completing the grant application and the excitement of sharing the news that the school had received the prestigious award.

Westlawn teacher Donna Geesaman, one of four teachers who worked to apply for the I-READ grant.

“Mr. Storie really pushed us to apply for the grant. We wondered whether it was worthwhile to go after such a large grant. He said it was worth it because we were good teachers. He kept pushing us and pushing us,” Geesaman said. “We are so appreciative. He has made a big difference for our school.”

Storie credits the staff for the great things that have happened at Westlawn since he has been there.

“I don’t think Dunkirk knows what a great group of teachers they have here. (The teachers) want to be here because they want to make a positive difference in the lives of these children. And they do,” he said.

Storie said he will miss the relationships he has built with students at Westlawn.

“(The students) are very affectionate. They are good kids, eager and enthusiastic to learn. I have seen some kids go all the way through from kindergarten to fifth grade,” he said. “It hurts a little to think that I will not be there. But I will stay in touch.”

Besides the students, he commend the efforts of the parents and Parent-Teacher Organization members for their financial support and countless volunteer hours working with the teachers and students.

“The parent-teacher relationships are the best I’ve ever seen. We are both focused on what is best for the kids. We’re partners,” Storie said, adding that the good relationship helps them work through conflicts when they arise. “It is through those moments that we learn to trust one another. There is an overall sense that this is a very positive place to be.”

PTO president Debbie Masters, who has also volunteered daily at Westlawn for the past three years, agrees.

“It is a partnership. (Storie) was always supporting us. He is always trying to get parents involved,” Masters said. “It’s all because of him that we have a greater understanding of what goes on at the school on a daily basis.”

Storie’s teaching career began in Jay County at East Elementary School where he taught for six months in 1975.

In the fall of 1975, he started teaching fifth and sixth graders at an elementary school in Edinburg. It was there that he met Linda, his wife of 25 years. She still lives in Edinburg, where she teaches fourth grade.

In 1986, Storie and his wife started a newspaper in Edinburg. He ran the small weekly newspaper until 1996, after he decided that education is where he wanted to be.

“I realized that I was really, really, deeply interested in schools,” Storie said about a realization he had after serving one term on the school board in Edinburg. “I set out on that path in 1995.”

In 1996, he took a job as an elementary school principal in Starke County. In 1999, after three years in Starke County, he took the job as principal at Westlawn.

“You are always called on to envision the perfect school. Well, this is it. This school is so blessed with some compassionate people all the way and down the ranks,” Storie said. “I have been fortunate enough to be along for the ride.”

Storie offers this advice to the person that takes his place as principal at Westlawn — “Understand and appreciate the teaching staff, the caring and involved parents and the wonderful student body. Be willing to learn from the staff, listen to the parents and love the kids as best you can.”[[In-content Ad]]DUNKIRK — About 100 parents and children attended a surprise farewell and plaque presentation program for Gary Storie Wednesday evening in the Westlawn Elementary School gym.

Westlawn Parent-Teacher Organization members had organized the event with help from Jay Schools superintendent Barbara Downing who made sure that Storie arrived at Westlawn at the appointed time.

Earlier in the day, Downing had called Storie over to the administration office in Portland. She then suggested they go back to Westlawn at 5:30 p.m., approximately a half hour before a scheduled Family Reading Night at the elementary school.

She told him they should arrive early to be sure everything was in place for the reading program. Instead, PTO members had made sure that everything was set up for a surprise reception in honor of Storie.

PTO member Debbie McDaniel had prepared a special DVD for Storie tracing his five years of work at Westlawn. Practically every student and staff member at the school was shown in the DVD, which was titled “Good-bye Mr. Storie.”

Shortly after Storie and Downing walked into the school’s multi-purpose room and saw the large crowd for the surprise reception, the video was shown to an appreciative audience and an obviously emotional and stunned Storie.

“I feel proud to have been the principal here, and leaving this school and the kids is like taking out a little piece of my heart,” Storie said.

After smiling while at the same time holding back tears as he viewed the DVD, Storie said, “This is more than one man deserves. Thanks everyone. Thank you very much.”

PTO president Debbie Masters also presented Storie with a specially made plaque which stated: Outstanding Principal Award, presented to Gary Storie “understanding, encouraging, dedicated — keep reaching for the stars.”

Mike Masters, a former PTO president and a current Jay School Board member, said this was sort of “a happy and sad occasion combined.” He as well as Downing praised Storie for his work to make improvements at the school.

“We’ve been blessed,” Masters, said.

Downing added, “You’ve taken this school to new heights.”

Obviously, caught completely unprepared by Wednesday’s festivities, Storie said he was speechless, as he simply smiled and savored the joy of the event.

After the formal presentations, parents and children — individually and in small groups — came up to Storie and wished him well.

Parent and PTO member Regina Jewell said, “This is more than just losing a principal. It’s like losing a friend.”