Merry Kraft began working at Averill Park CSD in 1993. After an illustrious career, she will be retiring this month.
Mrs. Kraft began teaching elementary health classes before moving to the high school to work in special education.
“I always loved school. When I was in third grade, I was able to help some of the other students and I knew then that I wanted to be a teacher,” she said. “Several years later my youngest brother was born with a serious disability and I was inspired by his life to pursue special education.”
Mrs. Kraft has always loved sharing moments of laughter with her class and has enjoyed building lasting relationships with students and their families.
“I still hear from students who were in my first class 40 years ago,” she said. “I will miss the day-to-day interactions with students and staff, and also seeing the students succeed at something that was previously challenging for them.”
Mrs. Kraft hopes to do a lot of traveling and looks forward to having more time for her hobbies, which include photography and exploring the great outdoors through biking and kayaking. She would also like to do some volunteer work, spend more time with family and get her house organized!
