Cooper announces retirement

REARDAN – Elementary school principal Dwight Cooper gave the board his letter of retirement at the board's Dec. 16 meeting. Cooper's retirement will take effect June 30, 2021, completing a 25-year career in Reardan and a 47-year career in education.

Cooper arrived at the school in 1996. He took a tour of the school, where he quipped that he walked by the freezer in the break room to a horrid smell.

"It smelled like rats or something," Cooper said. "Turns out, all the frozen stuff had thawed."

Cooper's retirement letter noted that in his first year, a bad ice storm hit.

"Since then, I've enjoyed more ups than downs during my tenure," Cooper's letter said.

After a humorously shaky first impression, the 68-year-old Cooper settled in to enjoy 25 years as the elementary school's principal, while also wielding other hats throughout the years like district assessment coordinator, foster care liaison and managing food services.

He also spent time as a national board member representing eight Western states for the National Association of Elementary School Principals.

Cooper began his educational career as an extension at Iowa State University for two years, where he was a youth leader and helped train volunteers. He then moved to work in the Coeur d'Alene/Post Falls area for 20 years before settling in Reardan, where he would conclude his career.

He said he was going to retire at the end of last school year, but "I wanted to have one year in the remodeled building."

"Then, COVID hit," Cooper said. "I didn't want to finish my career like that, either."

Cooper said he'll most miss the staff and children in the district, who remind him of his peers growing up on a farm in Iowa.

"I would brag around the country about how great our kids are...and the staff have hearts of gold," Cooper said. "I still have so much fun interacting with our kids every day. I'll miss that part of it."

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Drew Lawson, Editor

Drew Lawson is the former managing editor of the Davenport Times and a graduate of Eastern Washington University.

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