Print
E-Mail
tool name
closeAmbassadors’ of the school district to retire
Two longtime instructors began their combined 61 years of experience
Roxanne Cooke
In the choir room at Bonney Lake High School, choir director Karen Fulmer instructs her all-girls treble choir to use their hands while singing. The girls’ clear voices and movement appear carefree — it’s June 12, school is almost out and the sun shines outside.
Just down the hall, conversation and music playing on the radio contribute to the laid-back feel of art instructor Rom LaVerdiere’s class. His students work on their final projects and he checks up on each of them to see how they’re doing.
For Fulmer and LaVerdiere, this week is their last as teachers in the Sumner School District. The two retire this year with a combined 61 years of experience in the Sumner School District.
Brian Scheerer, Bonney Lake High assistant principal, said both beloved teachers would be missed dearly.
“Karen Fulmer and Rom LaVerdiere have been truly great ambassadors for the Sumner School District,” he said. “They’re both just class acts.”
‘Not a job, per se’
LaVerdiere, 65, began working for the district in 1978 at Sumner High School, where he started the graphic communications program and coordinated printing services.
The art teacher earned his bachelor’s degree in fine art at Saint John’s University in Minnesota in 1976. Before Sumner, he worked as a printer at Saint Martin’s College in Lacey and a graphic designer at the University of Minnesota. He earned his master’s in human resources management in the 1990s from Chapman University in California.
When LaVerdiere was looking for a job in the late 1970s, his girlfriend lived in the Sumner area and informed him of the opening at Sumner High School. He moved west, landed the job and married the girlfriend, Erin LaVerdiere, who is now the director of professional development for the district.
After 19 years at the high school, LaVerdiere helped open Mountain View Middle School in Bonney Lake and then worked there for eight years.
Most of his career he spent teaching printing, video and radio classes. But when he moved to Bonney Lake High School in 2005, his focus turned to fine arts.
In his years in the district, LaVerdiere feels he has always come away successful.
“I’ve always met a challenge,” he said.
And for LaVerdiere, his job is not just a job — it’s a lifestyle, a passion.
“My job has been a vocation and not a job, per se,” he said. “It’s fun and it’s my life.”
Over the years, LaVerdiere has taught many different courses, what he views as an opportunity to watch students grow and see them become excited about their education.
“I’ve always been energized by working with students,” he said.
LaVerdiere’s classroom is always inviting and warm, and the art instructor knows just how to help students do their best, Scheerer said.
“When kids come in, it’s instantly a welcoming environment,” he said.
And when they talk about LaVerdiere, they note his sense of humor and enjoyable class, he added.
“He’s the neatest guy,” said Scheerer, who has worked with LaVerdiere for three years. “Kids love him.”
Almost 66 now, LaVerdiere plans to do some fishing and golfing in his spare time, but will continue working in the art department for The Puyallup Fair, handling the Junior/Senior High School Art Show.
He’ll also work on some of his own art — painting, drawing and printmaking.
“I’d like to do something for myself for a while,” he said. “Whatever drives me.”
Music opened doors for her
Karen Fulmer, 54, began her career in the Sumner School District in 1976 as a student teacher for Sumner Junior High and Sumner High School. Her first job out of school involved creating music curricula and teaching music classes for three Sumner elementary schools. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s, both in music education, from Pacific Lutheran University.
Though Fulmer related well with her elementary students, with so many classes and different settings, she felt she didn’t belong anywhere. During her second year teaching at elementary schools, she transitioned to Sumner Junior High for a more permanent setting.
“Musically, it was more satisfying,” she said.
Fulmer spent 28 years at Sumner Junior High. Twenty of those years she worked as the district’s music coordinator, overseeing the entire music program for the district.
“I really enjoyed it,” she said.
Later in her career, Fulmer helped design the music rooms for Mountain View Middle School and Bonney Lake High. She transferred to Bonney Lake High the first year it opened, looking forward to teaching older students in concert choir, chamber choir and all-girls treble choir.
“It was a good move,” she said.
Over the years Fulmer has been active with several music organizations, such as the American Choral Directors Association, Tacoma Symphony Chorus and others. She has also worked with the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction on a classroom-based assessment for the arts.
“This district has been a great place to grow professionally,” she said.
In 1997, Fulmer earned the title of Washington State Teacher of the Year, which gained her the opportunity to meet former president Bill Clinton and attend NASA Space Camp.
Those experiences have shaped her professionally, she said, so she has often challenged her students to stick with music, reminding them the opportunities it can provide.
“The door that opened it was music,” Fulmer said.
But it’s time to retire —things are going well and her passion has not faded with age. That’s how she wants to be remembered, she said. In her retirement, she plans to travel and continue singing and participating in special projects for the district.
“An abundant life involves lifelong learning,” Fulmer said.
Scheerer has worked with Fulmer for 9 years, and said he admires her passion and creativity — and especially the way she allows students to take ownership in their education.
“Karen is an amazing individual,” he said. “She brings so much creativity and life to her classroom. She has a way of taking her gift of music and instilling that same joy in her students.”