Willow Elementary staff, students cite teamwork, field trips as longtime secretary retires

Kim Bridal, principal at Willow Elementary, led a brief visit and interviews at the Grantsville school that highlighted staff teamwork, student experiences and the planned retirement of a longtime secretary.

Staff and students described a culture of teamwork and support. "They're willing to step up and do whatever," said Mrs. Reitzel, a Willow Elementary staff member. "A lot of times they have to fill in for recess or duties or things that aren't technically their job. They do a really good job with that."

"The thing that's great about Willow is everyone. Everyone's a team," said Heather, a custodian at Willow Elementary.

Denise Boston, a secretary at Willow Elementary, said she has "loved working at Willow. I love my job. I love coming to work every day. It's like a second home to me and I have a second family." When asked about retirement, Boston said, "I am. I'm saying goodbye."

Students praised social connections and opportunities. "My friends are all here and all the opportunities that we're given," said Zoe, a sixth-grade student, who named field trips among her favorite activities. Zoe said the class visited the Clark Planetarium this year. Ty, another sixth-grade student, said, "there's people here I can trust and it's just a good school."

Teachers highlighted school-wide focus on improvement and collegial support. "We're always trying to improve. We have a principal that wants to see the kids improve, the teachers improve," said Mrs. Brockman, a sixth-grade teacher. "Whenever you need help, there's someone here to help you," she added. Mrs. Castaino, a first-grade teacher, said, "The teachers are so kind to each other. We all love coming to work every day to work with each other and the PTA is awesome." She also praised a colleague: "Mrs. Brady is the bomb."

The visit emphasized day-to-day routines and community relationships rather than policy or administrative decisions. Speakers described staff stepping in for duties such as recess supervision, regular field-trip opportunities for students and an active parent-teacher association. Boston's retirement was announced on site; no further administrative actions or replacement details were discussed during the visit.

The on-site comments painted a picture of a small school community focused on student support, staff cooperation and extracurricular learning experiences such as planetarium field trips.