In the two decades that Debbie Romenus has been a teacher at Chesterbrook elementary school she has instructed thousands of children and given them their introduction into physical fitness and health. Her colleagues and peers, however, say that her greatest talent has been in the encouragement she has given to countless children throughout the school.
To celebrate her time at the school, administrators, parents, students and alumni came together last week to send her off with a retirement party .
Principal Jane Rice said, “She is the ultimate professional. A lot of people don’t think of PE as being an important part of the curriculum but she makes it important. She teaches them all the skills that they are going to need going forward.”
“She’s right there with them every step of the way. Year after year, she knows the kids, their families and the little ones coming up. She’s touched every single child at this school. She’s a big part of the fabric here,” said Rice.
ROMENUS SAID, “My responsibility has been to expose the kids to a lot of different physical activities and getting them started on those basic skills. It will last a lifetime. I think I’ve emptied out my closet and given them a taste of everything.”
“This has been my home, my family,” said Romenus. Though she is sad to leave teaching, Romenus has been an educator for 30 years and at Chesterbrook for 20 of those, she is looking forward to doing charity and non-profit work. “I’m going to play a lot of golf and volunteer,” said Romenus of the future.
Kay Bransford, a parent of a Chesterbrook student, said, “In addition to the PE program, Ms. Romenus served as the advisor for the patrols, ensuring safety and order of the hundreds of students coming in and out of Chesterbrook everyday. [She] has shown a great talent for encouraging students of all athletic abilities to participate and enjoy athletic activities both in her class and through their outside activities.”
Principal Rice said, “I don’t know what we are going to do without her. It’s like she’s always been here. She will really, really be missed by everyone here.”