P.O.V. : YOU ARE MRS. OATNEY
Former Junior High and High School music teacher, Mrs. Oatney, has been working in the school district for 37 years. She has been the Valley Heights High School librarian for three years now. She says, “After I was retired for three months, Mrs. Kennedy called me and asked if there was any way I could come and help out in the library.” Mrs. Oatney said she thought about it, and decided why not. “And I’ve been here ever since. Now they can’t get rid of me!”
She says it is so much less stress on her back being a librarian. She really enjoys being in the library. She said, “I get to see way more kids this way, and I don't have to worry about concerts and grades.” She loves being able to take care of kids and help them as much as she can.
Mrs. Oatney grew up in Concordia, Kansas, and she went to high school there as well. After high school, she attended K-State University. Her very first job out of college was at Valley Heights. She taught for three years before getting married to her husband, Jim Oatney, a Valley Heights bus driver. Faye Jones, sophomore, said, “Mrs. Oatney is the sweetest person I know. She really helped me learn flute in band, from fifth - seventh grade. She is a very supportive person, and I always love talking to her in the lunch line.”
Article By Morgan Vinduska