Cathy Goodfellow Tricked, & Treated, On Her Last Day At GREC

Cathy Goodfellow has had a long, successful career in education. She started out as an Educational Assistant (EA) at Hinchinbrooke School in Parham 35 years ago, and worked on developing her skills as an educator, eventually working in other Limestone School Board locations, including Collins Bay and Perth Road. She took extra training and became a speech and language EA and traveled across the board to different schools, even teaching up at Denbigh on occasion, when that school was still open.

She then decided to switch panels, as she describes it, and worked in office administration for the rest of her career, starting at Sharbot Lake Public School, then moving to Sharbot Lake High School, and since it opened in 2014, at Granite Ridge Education Centre.

“It was a huge move for me, when I started in the administrative panel. Sharon MacDonald was a God send for me. She and Linda Wolsey took me under their wings, or I would never have made it. It is a wonder they did not just carry me out the door,” she recalls of her early days as an office administrator.”

Eventually she settled into her role, and by the time Granite Ridge opened she was in the best position to help students, staff, and families with the transition to the new environment.

“I love my role in the main office because I get to see all of the kids, from both panels, and all of the staff from both panels. I love the interaction with students and staff.”

She has kept working at Granite Ridge, beyond the age when she could have retired, but as this school year approached, she decided that it is time to retire.

“I’m old,” she said when contacted on Monday, her first working day as a retired person because she decided to retire at the end of October.

Her retirement plans are to do as much hiking as she can, and make full use of the K&P Trail, spend time with her family and friends, and she does plan to take some part-time relief work as well.

She decided to retire at the end of October so she could help the new person in her position at the beginning of the year, and with the last school day of October being Halloween, it seemed like an appropriate day to go out.

What Cathy has been known for, ever since she started working, and right until the end, is the smile and joy she brings to work, which puts everyone at ease. Dressing up for Halloween has always been something she has enjoyed.

Knowing her last day would be October 31st, her fellow staff members began to plan Cathy’s retirement day as soon as the year started, with the enthusiastic support of GREC’s Principal, Carrie Moore.

An elaborate plan was developed, with considerable help from Cathy’s husband Rick. He provided photos to the school staff of Cathy at various points in her life, some photos with him, and some on her own. Members of GREC staff each picked different photos, and they acquired the clothing that Cathy was wearing in each of the photos. In some cases, a male staff member dressed like Rick for photos with the two of them. The plan was for everyone to come to school as Cathy Goodfellow at some point in her career, dressed for whatever the occasion was, a family gathering, a golf game, the list was long, with the photo attached.

With this plan in place, the next step was to make sure Cathy was unaware of the plan. So, she was told that the plan for Halloween at GREC this year was for everyone to dress up like a different Crayola colour. She was told that the wood shop would be making up a giant Crayola box for everyone to gather under for a photo op on Halloween.

“A bunch of different people, staff and students, told me what colour they were going to be, over the last couple of weeks, just to throw me off,” Cathy said.

On Friday, Cathy arrived, wearing orange and black, to be part of Crayola Day, and when she went into the photocopy room, she started to realise what was going on.

“There was someone dressed in the pajamas that my granddaughter and I had worn. Then I looked a little closer, and saw the photograph. It was amazing. One of the staff even shaved his beard. It was so funny to see staff dressed as me when I was 6 or 7. The staff kept the outfits on all day, on all three floors of the school. It was quite a send-off.”

As she contemplates her long career, it comes down, for Cathy, to the quality of the people she has worked with over the years.

“As far as I’m concerned, everyone who works in a school is an educator, from the janitorial staff to the teachers. We all have a role to play. I worked with so many good people throughout my whole career, and everyone in that Granite Ridge building is receptive and respectful of the community.”