Two Veteran Teachers to Retire from District at Year's End

The Menomonee Falls School District will be losing a pair of veteran teachers at the end of this school year. High School social studies teacher and senior class advisor Ruth Ann Petroff and North Middle School world language instructor Reathy Hackbarth have both decided to retire after more than 20 years of service each.

Petroff received her B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she majored in History and minored in Political Science.  She has been a Falls High School teacher and advisor for 20 years and admits that going into retirement will bring big changes in her life.

“It’s going to be a change, a challenge and a transformation,” Petroff said.  “I think my whole identity for the last 20 years has really been defined by being a teacher and a mom, too. I just so love what I do. I’m passionate about the subject matter and I truly enjoy seeing the kids every day, the challenges they bring and their excitement or non-excitement. It’s always been for me a very wonderful experience.”

“Ruth Ann has always been involved in helping her students understand government, politics and economics,” said Superintendent Keith Marty. “She really engages the kids in debates about defense and current events and teaches them the value of being involved in citizenship and the need to vote.”

Petroff said the hardest part of retirement will be her disassociation from her students but she does see a bright side, too.

“I won’t have to live by bells anymore,” Petroff said. “I can actually go on vacation when I want to and I’ll have the freedom to do many more things at different times of the year that I wasn’t able to do.”

Was her decision to retire influenced by the current state budget battle?

“Yes,” she said. “In September, I had contemplated leaving in June because I will be 65 in April. Then, I thought, no, I really enjoy what I do. But with the uncertainty over all that is transpiring now, I thought, for a year am I going to risk this? Our contract does expire at the end of June and I don’t know what the relationship between teachers and the school board will be after this year. I wrote my letter of resignation with mixed emotions because this is what I love doing and I’m not ready to go yet.”

Hackbarth retires after serving the district for 21 years plus another 7 years split between schools in Milwaukee and Cedarburg. She is a graduate of Lawrence University in Appleton where she majored in German Literature. She also earned a M.A. in Education at Mount Mary College.

"I love it at the school I'm at and I love the school district," said Hackbarth as she looks toward retirement. "I've got a lot of things to do. My husband's retired and I have a lot of hobbies and interests. Who knows what the future will bring? I plan to take, perhaps, a half a day off and then we'll see what happens!"

“The unique thing about Reathy is that she was trained in both German and Spanish,” Marty said. “That versatility was really valuable because she could teach at a high school or a middle school and be very competent at different levels.  Like Ruth Ann, Reathy is very engaging with the kids. She’s a very friendly and outgoing teacher and is someone that the kids can really relate to.”

"I enjoy watching them grow up over a school year, watching them mature," Hackbarth said. "I think they are really funny and entertaining and every day brings something that I can remember. I have always worked under an excellent principal and vice-principal and they have supported me. I've also received support from the people I work with. We're very good friends here and we care about each other a lot."