There is a familiar face back in the building at Lewis Cass High School this fall. It is the lovely face of Mrs. Joan Sites. Many students who had Mrs. Sites know she retired after the 21-22 school year. Now, she is back and better than ever in the athletic department. I sat down with the Lewis Cass legend to ask her a few questions.
The first question we had for Mrs. Sites was (for the students who did not have you in class): what did you teach here at Lewis Cass, how long did you teach, and did you teach at any other schools? Mrs. Sites replied, “30 years total, 9 years at Rochester and 21 here at Cass. I taught Chemistry, Earth Space Science, ICP, and 7th and 8th grade science.”
Mrs. Sites is out of retirement, and inquiring minds want to know what she did during her brief retirement. She said she spent most of her time watching her granddaughter four days a week. So, it is safe to say Mrs. Sites might have retired, but she was still very busy during her brief retirement!
Teaching for thrity years is a lot, to say the least, and in that time Mrs. Sites met many students and worked with many teachers. It should not surprise anyone with her response to the question: what did you miss most about Lewis Cass? “I missed the people and the kids the most,” said Sites. So if you thought Mrs. Sites did not miss you. I hope that changes your mind.
Being a science teacher and the athletic secretary are two very important yet very different jobs. I asked Mrs. Sites: what are you looking forward to being different between teaching and being the athletic secretary? Her response was, “I enjoy not having to take anything home with me when I leave the job. I leave it here.” If you ask me, that sounds pretty cool to go home and not have to worry about work.
During Mrs. Site’s transition, she moved from working directly for Mr. Young to now having Mr. Marschand as a boss. So I sat down with the Lewis Cass Athletic Director and head coach, Mr. Marschand to ask him a few questions about Mrs. Sites. The first question was: how many years have you worked with Mrs. Sites? He replied, “ I was here when she got here, so twenty-one years. When asked what is one interesting fact students should know about Mrs. Sites? Mr. Marschand replied, “She has a very keen personality and sense of humor. When some have that, they can always roll with the flow. We are very lucky to have her here.”
So, the next time you are dropping off your physical forms at the athletic office, you will see the lovely face of Mrs. Sites. Even if you do not need to drop off your physical, just stop by and say hi!
