Posted July 17, 2015
Greetings Cory Families,
It is bittersweet that I announce that Rich Ashburn (4/5 Math-Science) will be taking a break from teaching, beginning this school year. He has chosen the road that many of us would like to take- the road of being a full time dad and pouring his time and energy into his wife, Gretchen, and his beautiful daughter Harper.
Please join me in saying “goodbye for now” to an incredibly talented team member. Though his time at Cory was short, he made an impact on students and staff in a powerful way.
Our Personnel Committee will be gearing up to begin our search for a qualified candidate to fill this position. We hope to have this position filled quickly to ensure a smooth transition for students and parents at the beginning of the school year. If your child was assigned Mr. Ashburn for their homeroom teacher, they will remain in that assignment under his replacement. Mrs. LaVenture will remain as their teacher for Literacy.
Below is a personal letter from him regarding his decision.
Dear Cory Community,
As some of you know, I had the opportunity to travel this summer in Europe with my wife and daughter. During the trip I was able to spend a great deal of time talking and laughing with Harper, who just turned eight. It was during this time that I realized she was older and more grown up than I remembered. Somehow, my toddler had become a third grader in the blink of an eye.
I began to think about how quickly she had grown and how much of that I had missed. As hard as it was for me to accept, I could count the number of times I had been in her classroom on one hand. As she enters third grade, I decided I needed to make some changes. So I am stepping away from teaching to give a little more time and energy to being a dad. I’m looking forward to being a parent volunteer, a member of the PTA, and who knows, maybe they will even let me coach a chess team.
I want to express how much I enjoyed my stay at Cory. I could not have asked for a better community to be apart of. In particular, I would like to thank Rainy LaVenture, Julie Keppler, and Debbie Stricker – the best group of teachers/friends I have had the pleasure to partner with. I would also like to thank Jen Harris and the rest of the faculty for a great year.
I hope to visit and catch up with a great group of students and families in the near future. Thank you again for a wonderful year.
Be well, Rich Ashburn
In partnership,
Jennifer Harris
Principal