It’s impossible to know the number of lives educators Cathy Bernath, Greg Helton and Kathy Zei have impacted during their years at District 84’s Hester Junior High School in Franklin Park.
But there have been many.
The three educators retired at the end of the school year with more than 100 years of combined experience at Hester Junior High alone.
“All three of these teachers have left an important legacy with their students,” said Giffen Trotter, principal of Hester Junior High. “I’ve been here 19 years and they were all here when I got here. They’re just solid, reliable educators that are in it for the right reasons. They see the big picture. They know this whole thing is a process. Junior high can be a tough time for adolescents. They should be commended for spending their whole career with the toughest ages. The 11-14 age group is challenging.”
Bernath dedicated 35 years to students, staff and the school as a language arts teacher. She also spent plenty of time after school over the years, helping students explore various interests while continuing to challenge themselves.
“In previous years I have served as moderator for various extracurriculars such as cheerleading (in my early years), newspaper and spelling bee,” she said. “I have enjoyed teaching the eighth grade career project, which gives students an opportunity to explore their future possibilities. In recent years, I have had the privilege of teaching a number of students whose parents had attended Hester. Teaching in the Franklin Park community has been a fantastic experience.”
Helton had high hopes for being in a big band, but love, marriage and fatherhood changed his way of thinking many, many years ago.
“I did not intend to be a teacher,” Helton said. “My goal was to be in a professional big band like Maynard Ferguson, Buddy Rich, Woody Herman and the like. My parents convinced me that I should get an education degree to have a fall back career option.”
He excelled at DePaul University as a performer while also learning to become a teacher. He was selected as a Disney All-American Band member in 1981 and performed that summer at Disneyland in Anaheim, California.
“That only further cemented my goal of being a professional musician,” he said. “After student teaching I was offered the graduate assistant in jazz studies at DePaul University.”
Helton also was performing with Chicago radio disc jockey Jonathon Brandmeier and his band, Johnny and the Leisure Suits.
“Two members of that band were also in the Buckinghams, and I also played with them as well,” Helton said. “As a freelancer, I performed with many major acts, including Tony Bennett, Martha Reeves, The Four Tops, The Temptations and Joan Rivers.”
Helton made his big classroom debut in 1987 at Luther North High School in Chicago. A couple years later he got married. In 1990, he became a dad.
“It was at this point where I realized that the uncertainties of the gig life was not a responsible choice now that I was responsible for another human,” he said. ‘I interviewed for a number of positions, and was ready to accept a job in another district when Kitty Greenwood, the mom of two of my private brass students, informed me that the Franklin Park job was open. I interviewed, and got the job.”
Having grown up in River Grove and graduated from East Leyden High School, the opportunity to teach in Franklin Park was an attractive one.
“So I was very familiar with the demographics and the schools,” he said. “The close access to Gene and Jude’s hot dog stand was also a plus. My high school director, Henry Hiorns, was still at Leyden, and Marilee Castaneda (now retired music teacher at Hester) was a wonderful mentor to the D84 world of education.”
Helton retires after 35 years at Hester and 38 years total in D84.
“This school district, from the support staff, teachers, administration and school board truly values the arts, and has shown great support of the music programs the entire tenure of my career,” Helton said. “The students, however, are what had me looking forward to coming back to school every August. I know that I will miss the interaction with everyone, but am happy that they have found a very bright and capable replacement for me in Ms. Allison White. I know that our music staff (Katie Mitchell, Laura Dahl and Tracie Pausa) will be great mentors for her as she acclimates to District 84.”
He’s already got plans for his life after school.
“Retirement will be a new venture of self improvement and physical fitness,” Hester said. “I look forward to hearing the bands next year, and know that they will be fantastic.”
Zei taught special education at Hester for 34 years.
“In my time at Hester, I have taught every subject to kids with varying disabilities,” Zei said. “When I started, I taught every subject in one room, even kids who didn’t speak English (before we had an ELL program). Eventually kids with special needs started to be included in more classes with their peers. I have since been in many classrooms as a co-teacher.”
Teaching reading and resource classes to small groups of students was one of the best experiences Zei ever had as an educator.
“I would say teaching reading to kids who struggle has been one of my favorite subjects,” she said. “I also enjoy working with kids with emotional or behavioral struggles. I have loved working in District 84 because of the support teachers get from the community. This community cares about their kids’ education and continues to value its schools and teachers. It has been my privilege and honor to work in District 84.”
So much so that Zei’s daughter, Annie Zei, is a fifth grade teacher at Passow Elementary School in Franklin Park.
“I will still have my connection to this community,” Kathy Zei said. “I can see the passion and love she has for the job has been passed down.”
While these three retirees remained in the jobs at Hester that they started in the early 1990s, there likely won’t be as many that follow in those same footsteps.
While teaching turnover is common today, having three longtime educators remain at the same school for as long as they did is becoming less common. Some educators do jump to other teaching jobs, others completely leave the field and some go to college yet never enter a classroom.
Bernath, Helton, Zei are a rare breed.
“Cathy (Bernath) created and nurtured countless writers through her years of English language arts instruction,” Trotter said. “A colleague reached out to former students to write something to Ms. Bernath. The notes were all heartfelt and well written, of course. Many cited Ms. Bernath teaching them how to become a confident writer and to be able to express themselves through writing. Many of which were students who, at the time of their junior high life, it was not known the impact she was having on them, but with the gift of time and being able to look back they cited very nice memories.”
Trotter initially said Helton had influenced hundreds of kids before correcting his math.
“Greg (Helton) had the opportunity to influence hundreds, maybe more like thousands of young musicians over his career,” Trotter said. “Setting them on a path to continue their music involvement in high school and beyond.”
Going above and beyond has been this retiring staff’s modus operandi.
“Kathy (Zei) left her mark on countless students through her special education career,” Trotter said. “Students who progressed through Kathy’s classes could always count on her unwavering support. Kathy could always be counted on to problem solve for some of our most challenging students. Many of her students over the years have required that ‘something extra’ to make it through their junior high years and Kathy was always willing and able to go the extra mile for her students.”
C.R. Walker is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
