Back in November, I first heard word that Mr. Larry (Moe)
Mengerink was going to be stepping away from teaching and starting the road to
retirement at the end of this school year. I can’t tell you how I felt when I
first heard this news even though I knew it would be coming sometime down the
road. Larry has taught our Building
& Grounds program for the past 11 years and I have had the pleasure of
knowing him for the last ten years now.
Those of you who are not familiar with our Building &
Grounds program may not understand the terrific job that Larry does. Each year
the program is comprised of around 95% of the students who are on an
Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Many of these students have struggled in
school and have been looking for a place where they can develop some skills so
that they can find employment after graduation. Many of the students who are in
this program will start off learning how to read a tape measure, hammer a nail,
or understand safety measures when working with equipment. By the time they
leave this program they have been able to use all types of power tools and
equipment, frame windows, build walls, run electricity in houses and
out-buildings, roof, landscape and drywall. Several projects that they have completed in this program over the years include; restoring several old dilapidated houses
in the Van Wert area, building sheds in the Children's garden in Van Wert,
roofing shelter houses in the Delphos community, building a memorial for the
veterans association, restoring the Van
Wert armory building and several community projects that are too numerous to
mention. I know Larry would be the first to state that he has had a lot of help
from Brenda, his aide and friend who is such a big help in the lab.
As I look at the list, I would say that this is quite an
accomplishment for Larry but it isn't the whole story. See, Larry is one of
those guys that when I talk with, I always feel better. I feel that maybe I
just stepped back in time for a moment when respect, morals and genuine kindness
was a given, not an exception. You walk away from a conversation with Larry and
feel like the world would be a much better place if more people were like him.
That part of Larry is what is really taught in his lab and what his students
will carry with them for a lifetime. No matter where you see a Building and
Ground student, you will see what I am talking about. They are always polite
when speaking with an adult. You will never see one of his students wearing a
hat outside of his lab. They will always have their shirts tucked in and they
will always put their chair back under the table when they are done. This behavior isn't
only done in and around school because I have been on field trips with the class and we have
stopped at several restaurants over the years and I have witnessed it. Every single student takes their
hat off before entering, they are very polite to the staff at the restaurant and they
always put their chairs under the table when they get up to go to the buffet, the
restroom or when we are leaving. Larry believes these traits will help the
students in the “real world” more than anything else he can teach them. Larry
will never allow “nick names” in his lab. He believes everyone was given their
name at birth and they should be referred to as that. This stops any name calling
or other derogatory remarks in his lab. The care and compassion that Larry
gives each student is evident in the way his past students always come back to
visit. They always speak of how Mr. Mengerink cared for what was going on in
their lives and they knew he wanted them to succeed and he believed in
them. For many of these students, it is
the first time in their life that they have had someone believe in them and
push them to be successful. They talk about the respect they have for him and
all the things he taught them.
Well as the title of this blog states, “Say it ain't so
Moe”, I wish it wasn't true that he was retiring. However, I realize that we
all come to that day when we say it is time. Larry has given so much to Vantage
Career Center and our students that he deserves to enjoy his retirement. I wish
the best for Larry and his wife Diane. I hope they take the time to enjoy all
those grandchildren, I’m sure they will. I will truly miss our talks Larry. In
closing, I would like to share a poem that has meant a lot to me and I feel
describes Larry to a tee:
SUCCESS AS A HUMAN BEING – R.W. Emerson
To laugh often and love much; to win the
respect of intelligent persons and the affection of children; to earn the
approbation of honest citizens and endure the betrayal of false friends; to
appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to give of one’s self; to leave
the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a
redeemed social condition; to have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung
with exultation; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have
lived—this is to have succeeded.
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