Going into the 20-21 school year, Park High’s staff will see considerable turnover, with at least five teachers who have announced their resignations. Nancy Curtis is one of them. After teaching choral music for 37 years, she finally decided that this will be the year she will retire.

“I need to be more selfish with my own time,” Curtis said.

She plans on doing the hobbies that she doesn’t have time for within her school schedule. She isn’t going to completely cut herself from the school and her students; she plans to still do private lessons and participate in the shows at the Shane Center. “It’s a pleasure to have them as my students,” Curtis said. 

 The teaching veteran expressed that she is going to miss her students dearly. Curtis said that the Park high vocalists are excelling and achieving much more than what anyone would have thought. “ You have these kids coming from the small town of Livingston and leaving to go to giant cities to proceed with their music career,” she said. Her students mean very much to her. “I’m going to miss teaching my kids and watching them grow and achieve their goals.” Curtis explains her students to be “nostalgic.” Not only was Curtis there to teach them, she had created a sentimental bond between her and her students. 

 “I had the privilege of watching my students perform at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville,” Curtis expressed with passion. 

Over the years, Curtis has grown close to the faculty of Park high and Sleeping Giant Middle School. She explains, “It’s a pleasure to work with people with such high caliber.”  

 Curtis says she won’t attend the PHS concerts for a while, so “it doesn’t make it seem like I am checking up on the new teacher.” Giving advice from one choir teacher to another, Curtis said “ keep a high bar with your expectations, the kids will achieve above and beyond.” 

Traveling the world is on Curtis’ agenda for retirement.  “At some point, I’d like to do some traveling – to visit the parts of the US that I haven’t been to, and I’d like to go back to Europe and do some more traveling there.” 

She also said she is looking forward to the simple things in life that she can’t do on a day to day basis with her schedule, like sleeping in or “getting to drink just one more cup of coffee in the morning.” 

Ending her teaching career in  2020, she will have plenty of time on her hands to enjoy the little things in life.