Illness Forces Beloved Teachers Retirement

SHARON SPRINGS — A beloved Sharon Springs Central School District teacher is putting a wrap on her 42-year career in the district after recently being diagnosed with cancer.

Barbara Handy, who taught business at the high school level, addressed the school board at its Monday, Jan. 13 meeting. Though her retirement is considered official as of Jan. 2, a memorandum of agreement approved by the board at the meeting allows Handy to keep teaching from Jan. 6 through June 30, as long as she is physically able.

"Despite this challenging diagnosis, Mrs. Handy's spirit remains as indomitable as ever and she plans to continue teaching at SSCS in retirement as much as her body allows," stated an item on the school district website, sharonsprings.org.

An emotional Handy expressed her gratitude to the school board at the Jan. 13 meeting.

"I'm happy you take the time to be on the school board," she said. "I know you make a difference in the lives of kids. Our school community always puts kids first."

Handy recalled how her career plans were not fully formed while attending college but after getting into teaching, realized she had found her true calling.

"I was born to teach, and born to teach here," she said. "People ask me why I stayed for 42 years and I say 'It's difficult to give up the greatest job in the world.' I have been privileged to work here. It's joyful every single day."

School board members told Handy the gratitude she expressed to them is returned in full.

"It has been a pleasure working with you all these years," Board President Helen Roberts said.

In a conversation after the meeting, Superintendent Tom Yorke called Handy "a rock in our district."

In other news from the Jan. 13 meeting, Business Manager Tony DiPace said a meeting of the building committee should be held soon to discuss an energy management performance contract for the district. DiPace and Yorke said the contract could coincide with the next set of improvements to be done in roughly three years.

Specifics on those improvements have not been detailed, the two administrators said.

"The building is in pretty good shape right now," DiPace noted. "It will be three years before anything more happens."

The board approved mergers with neighboring district Cherry Valley/Springfield for the 2025 spring season for modified and varsity baseball and softball. The move means the two districts will field one combined team in those sports. Yorke said Sharon Springs has trouble fielding teams in the spring sports and such mergers have occurred over the last four or five years.

In addition, as has been the custom, Sharon Springs athletes will be able to join the boys and girls track and field teams at Cherry Valley/Springfield, Yorke continued. Sharon Springs historically has not offered track and field, he added.

In personnel actions at the end of the meeting, the board approved Mary Fucci as a non-certified substitute, granted maternity leave to Megan Fancher from April 8 through June 30, accepted the resignation of substitute cleaner Ronel Harper and approved Michael Attaway as a full-time equivalent teacher aide.