Posted: 5/17/05
Long-time math teacher retiring
Keith Hollatz is ending a 35-year teaching career at Caledonia High School this year.
Hollatz, 56, came to Caledonia in 1970. He taught math and drivers education, and he has announced all but one of the Warrior football games since 1980.
Itís a rewarding career, Hollatz said, when students understand concepts and feel confident about their skills.
He has also enjoyed seeing how the community has supported the school.
ìItís an excellent facility,î he said. And itís a far cry from the portable classrooms on the south side of the old high school that he began teaching in back in 1970.
ìItís a good place for kids to be and adults to work in,î Hollatz added. He thinks the school climate is excellent. Everybody works hard to make it a nice place to spend time, he said.
Hollatz stressed that the entire staff is part of a positive environment: certified staff, administrators, and educational assistants. ìIt takes more than just teachers to make a school successful,î he said.
Heíll miss that day-to-day contact with students and staff. ìThereís a lot of camaraderie around a place like this,î he said.
Technology and curriculum are two of the biggest changes that he has seen.
A native of north-central Iowa, Hollatz graduated from Byron, Minnesota, High School and attended college at Rochester Junior College and Mankato State College. He received a Master of Science degree in mathematics teaching at Winona State.
He started at Caledonia and found it was a good place to work. He married Carolyn Kreuscher on June 9, 1973. She taught home economics at the school, and is now the secretary at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Caledonia.
The school was good to his own children too, Hollatz feels. He said he would recommend teaching as a career. ìI am glad to say that I made the choice I did,î he said.
Keith and Carolyn have four children: Craig, deceased; Phillip, Norfolk, Virginia; Andrew, a student at the University of Minnesota Medical School; and Rachel, St. Peter.
Hollatz will continue on as a part-time drivers education teacher. He will also substitute teach, fish, golf, and possibly find another job.
And he will keep that remarkable 25-year record of announcing football games going for a while too. ìI plan to continue as long as they keep asking me to continue,î Hollatz said.
Next week The Argus will have a story on another retiring teacher, Betty DeWitz.
Caledonia Argus
314 West Lincoln St.
P.O. Box 227
Caledonia, MN 55921-0227
507/724-3475
E-Mail: editor.argus@ecm-inc.com