By Jane Schuchardt
Editor’s Note: This continues a series of monthly articles celebrating pride in our town and its surroundings shown through the experience of residents and organizations.
Eagles, maybe even a few of the bald variety, will be flying high with pride on May 25th here in Elgin. Twenty twenty-four is the 150th year for the Elgin School #18 District and the 100th year for the high school building.
Spreading her wings yet again to lead organization of an alumni event is Elgin’s own Laurie Waterbury, born and raised here, the daughter of Gale (deceased in 2015) and Dolly Schindler, and a 1980 proud Elgin Public Schools (EPS) high school graduate.
Surrounded by the school colors of orange and black yearbooks, sweatshirts, jerseys, flags, caps, buttons, tee shirts, and other Elgin Eagles memorabilia, even shoelaces, she’s gathering up for the anniversary celebration, Waterbury points alumni to the EPS Alumni Facebook page for details.
The Facebook page can be used for alumni and guests to sign up, so there’ll be enough food, she explained. Or you can send a message to epsalumni@elgineagles.org, contact Waterbury at 402-843-8463, or be in touch with Karin Kinney at 402-843-6526.
Kinney and others are helping with the event which, on the Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend, includes a campus open house from 4:00 – 7:00 pm, an evening meal in the school gym anytime from 5:00 – 7:00 pm and more time for alumni to socialize at Elgin’s Knights of Columbus (KC) Hall from 6:00 – midnight, including music suitable for dancing. No banquet is planned.
Freewill donations and a silent auction will cover food, KC Hall rental, and other expenses with any remaining money going to senior scholarships.
Why lead this effort which has been her mainstay community contribution for decades? Waterbury got a bit emotional when she shared, “As a teacher for 35 years, it’s to help kids, it’s what I do.” Ungirding her comment is her commitment for alumni to provide scholarships for post-secondary education.
Waterbury, who teaches fourth grade at the St. Michael’s Catholic School in Albion, said this profession gives her great joy “when they get it (what she has taught). I care about kids.” She adamantly supports both of Elgin’s schools, public and Catholic, as she emphatically proclaimed, “People just don’t realize how lucky we are here, to have two excellent schools.”
Her teaching career spans 35 years, first at a country school by O’Neill, then four years at St. John the Baptist in Petersburg (now closed) and now for 21 years at the Albion school. Bursting with boundless energy and a captivating, joyous spirit, Waterbury said she plans to stay in the classroom a bit longer and then be a volunteer, maybe at Elgin’s Bargain Box; travel, and spend more time with her three grandchildren, two girls and a boy all three years and under.
Following high school Waterbury said she wasn’t quite ready for college and worked various jobs in Elgin including the City Limits, the former Sunset Lanes and Lounge, and Pronto, which now is One Stop. She attended Northeast Community College, earned a teaching degree from Wayne State College in 1988, and got her first paid teaching assignment at age 27.
Her history of involvement with EPS is robust. Both of her children, Becki and Cordell, graduated there along with numerous relatives. “At any one time, my mom had eight to 10 grandkids in EPS,” she said.
Waterbury, who is married to Chris, a Central Valley Ag employee, said she never taught in Elgin, though was a Girl Scout leader and taught CCD (Catholic Catechism) at Elgin’s St. Boniface church. She served 12 years (three terms) on the EPS School Board, including three years as president. Then Norma Peters (deceased 2017), Phyllis Kinney, and others “pulled me in” to be on the EPS Alumni Committee.
Leading the effort most years, except during times affected by the covid pandemic, she hired caterers for the alumni banquet, secured a location and speakers, sent invitations to alumni (sometimes mailing more than 1,000 invites), helped name scholarship winners, and more. Since she said schools are largely moving away from alumni banquets due to difficulties in securing volunteers to organize the event, no further events beyond 2024 are planned for EPS gatherings.
Rifling through orange and black mementos, she noted a stocking cap from the 1970s. “Maybe someone will want this and bid on it at the silent auction,” she said. One could see her mind soaring with ideas to make the May 25th event for EPS alums one to fill the yearbook.
Thank you, Laurie for this dedication and strong service to our youth, our EPS alums, and our community.
