subscribesubscriber servicescontact usabout ussite map
Fri, Nov 27 2009 

Published May 20, 2008 06:40 pm - When Phyllis Sprenkle first walked into the halls of the Sheldon School District on Sept. 5, 1955, she entered as a young, eager first-grader. In a little more than a month, she will officially walk out of the halls for the last time.

Mike Pound: School district becomes a place to call home



By Mike Pound

Globe columnist

mpound@joplinglobe.com

When Phyllis Sprenkle first walked into the halls of the Sheldon School District on Sept. 5, 1955, she entered as a young, eager first-grader. In a little more than a month, she will officially walk out of the halls for the last time.

Phyllis, who for the past 12 years has served as superintendent of the school district, will retire June 30 after spending 37 years working for the district as a teacher and administrator. All told, when you factor in her 12 years as a student, Phyllis has spent 49 years of her life roaming the halls and the classrooms of Sheldon schools.

Of course, those halls and classrooms have changed just a little bit. The white, World War II-era barracks building that housed Phyllis’ first-grade classroom is long gone. The large, brick building that used to house the elementary school and the high school serves mainly as a storage building. The elementary school — built in 1956 — is still around, as is the high-school addition that was completed in 1991.

On Tuesday morning, I sat in the principal’s office at Sheldon High School and chatted with Phyllis. I asked her if she could look out the window and still picture that little girl, all those years ago, walking into school for the first time.

“I think so,” Phyllis replied. “But the school has changed so much since that day.”

As much as Phyllis loves the Sheldon School District, she isn’t one to dwell on the past. Talk to her about the district and she will excitedly talk about how things have changed over the years.

She’ll talk about the preschool that the district opened long before most districts in the state were doing so. She will tell you that the Sheldon district was one of the first in the state to require its high-school seniors to take a class in personal finances. She will talk about the computer labs, the Smart Boards in every classroom and the after-school programs offered by the district. She will talk about other teachers and administrators who have made the district what it is today. And she will talk about the sense of family that has always been a part of the school district and that also has made it what it is today.

Phyllis didn’t really intend to spend her adult life in Sheldon. She’s glad she did, but it wasn’t something she planned. After Phyllis and her husband, Paul, graduated from Missouri State University (then known as Southwest Missouri State University), they moved back to Sheldon for the summer. Paul had been accepted into graduate school at the University of Iowa, and he, Phyllis and their young son were planning to head north. Shortly before they were to leave, the Sheldon High School home-economics teacher resigned. Phyllis and Paul did the math. He didn’t have a job. She didn’t have a job. They had a young son. So, Paul attended graduate school at Pittsburg State University, and Phyllis taught home economics, seventh-grade science and library science. She also was the senior class adviser, yearbook adviser and student newspaper adviser.

“I have no idea why I came back the second year,” Phyllis said with a laugh.

Actually, she does know why she came back. She came back for the same reason she came back every year. For the same reason Paul, who has been teaching in the district for 35 years, comes back every year. For the same reason her dear friend Eileen Leininger, who has taught in the district for 36 years, comes back.

Sheldon is their home, and the students who make their way through the same halls they have patrolled all these years are their family. In a few weeks, Phyllis will walk out the school that has been her home for 49 years for the last time — at least as an employee. She says she hopes to be back to visit often, but things will be different. She knows that.

I asked Phyllis what she will do in mid-August when the new school year begins without her. She paused for a second and thought about that.



print this story    email this story    comment on this story   

Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.


Add a comment on this story







autoconx
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide

Announcements


Click here to VOTE!!

Click here!!

: Special Offer For New Subscribers : 32 buy 1 get 1 free offers

Click Here!


Featured Jobs

TRUCK DRIVERS NEEDED

for local construction project, must have CDL and experience on construction site belly dumps. 417-206-0930.
...>MORE

See all ads

Featured Transportation

HONDA, 2007 FIT SPORT,
customized interior package, automatic, air, AM/FM/CD, cruise, great mpg, low miles, excellent condition, $11,800. (417)...>MORE

FORD, 1997 F150
V8, automatic, extended cab, high miles, $2600. (417)214-0145....>MORE

OLDSMOBILE 2003 SILHOUETTE VAN
OLDSMOBILE, 2003 Silhouette mini van, 107,000 miles, scooter/wheelchair hoist, nice, $7000. (417)776-3219....>MORE

1997 OLDSMOBILE 88
runs good, $1900. 417-850-0731....>MORE

1999 CADILLAC SEDAN DEVILLE
Delegance, Michelin tires, Northstar, vinyl top, loaded, $3900/or offer. (417)850-0731....>MORE

1989 CHEVROLET STEPSIDE
350, V8, custom flames, runs great, $2500. 417-208-6717...>MORE

2001 FORD WINDSTAR SE
Sport, loaded, all options, great looking van, extra nice, $3200. 1317 Schifferdecker, Joplin....>MORE

1998 CHEVROLET S10
4 cylinder, 5 speed, high miles, $1750. 417-214-0022....>MORE

2003 DODGE CARAVAN SPORT
loaded, 1 owner, 94,000 miles, nice. (417)385-7755...>MORE

2001 DODGE RAM 1500
SLT/shell, 71,000 miles, 5.9l V8, tow package +, super condition reduced $7690. 417-358-5395....>MORE

See all ads

Featured Homes

525 E. 41ST, JOPLIN, MO

to be sold at auction December 5th or before. Lovely all red brick home on large corner. 4 bedroom, 2 bath, double
...>MORE

3 ACRES
3 ACRES more/less with pond. Nice park-like setting, just minutes from Range Line. Close to area of newer homes. $19,900...>MORE

Deerfield Estates
in Carl Junction, prime building sites, reduced $10,000 each. 417-825-0052...>MORE

NEWER 3 BR/2 BA
Lots of upgrades and great location. $149,000 but all offers considered. 903 Katlin, Carl Junction. Pictures www.fsboloc...>MORE

See all ads

Other Cool Stuff

(2) TEACUP CHIHUAHUA
APRI puppies. (417)673-1997....>MORE

YORKIES
12 weeks old, 2 males, AKC, 1st shots, $175. 417-291-6590, Webb City...>MORE

SCHNAUZERS
one white puppy, one registered silver adult female, one white adult male. (417)437-0300....>MORE

ANTIQUES FOR SALE
blue sette $350 2 lamps $75 coffee table $35 2 half side tables $35 2 mauve 60's chairs $225 will e-mail photos. 417-673...>MORE

POODLES
POODLES, standard pups, born 10/10, registered, shots, wormed, family raised. Adorable personalities! 417-673-3892....>MORE

ENGLISH BULLDOG PUPPY
male, AKC, fawn/white, champion bloodlines, $900 or best offer. (417)396-3340...>MORE

INDIAN HEAD PENNIES
INDIAN HEAD PENNIES, 35% Civil War II nickels, V nickels, Buffalo nickels, lots of other coins. Garage full of antiques ...>MORE

DIAMOND SOLITAIRE
Pear-shaped, one carat, diamond solitaire in gold setting. $2,000. Please call 417-825-3238...>MORE

NEW IN BOX
New in box, Lucchese cowboy boots, black, size 9D, $200. (620)231-9256...>MORE

I WANT TO BUY
6’ t-post, 5’ wire. Call for details. (417)396-1339...>MORE

See all ads


 

Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.CNHI Classified Advertising NetworkCNHI News Service
Associated Press content © 2009. All rights reserved. AP content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Our site is powered by Zope and our Internet Yellow Pages site is powered by PremierGuide.
Some parts of our site may require you to download the Flash Player Plugin.
View our Privacy Policy
Advertiser index

 

 

The Joplin Globe Electronic Edition