The 2014-15 Mercer Island School District (MISD) retirees are Michael Flaherty, hired in 1992; Carol Wiseley, hired in 1997; Sue Jobe, hired in 1998; Jean Field, hired in 1998; and Jan LaFountaine, hired in 2009. The retirees were honored at the end of May during a celebration at the high school.

“Thank you to our retirees for your dedication and service to Mercer Island students, parents, and patrons,” said Superintendent Dr. Gary Plano. “Public school education was made better because of your tenure with us.”

Jean Field was hired at MIHS as the main office secretary in 1998 after spending 11 years as the secretary for a local doctor. She has lived on Mercer Island for more than 40 years. She has four children who graduated from Mercer Island public schools. Before she began her official work with the district, she spent countless hours volunteering, from kindergarten through her kids’ graduation parties.

Mike Flaherty joined the MISD as a bus driver in 1992 while working in banking and real estate. From 1965 through 1968 he served in the U.S. Army in West Germany as a medical company Commander and in Vietnam as Adjutant of an evacuation hospital. Director of Maintenance and Operations Tony Kuhn said, “Over the years, Mike’s easy-going and happy nature has been greatly appreciated by all of us. His personality and attitude have made our building a positive place.”

Throughout Sue Jobe’s career in education, she has been dedicated to improving her work through continued education and to using her experience to benefit others.

One of Jobe’s colleagues at MIHS said, “Sue is also an extremely compassionate and intuitive teacher. She is someone who can always be counted on to undertake and task, and will do so with excellence. She goes above and beyond the call of duty when working with students; especially challenging students who may require extra attention and alternative teaching methods.”

Carol Wiseley has taught at MIHS for nearly 20 years and has made a tremendous impact on her students over the years. “Carol’s many years of expertise, wisdom, and drive to create authentic learning experiences for her students will truly be missed,” said her colleague Kristine van der Hoeven. “She has developed and sustained one of the best marketing and business programs in our state through her enthusiasm to continually seek partnerships with leading organizations in our area. Carol’s classroom has been the catalyst for many successful entrepreneurs like Jeff Becker, now a Mercer Island parent, who runs a multi-million dollar branded merchandise firm, and Aaron Levie, who just took his cloud-based data storage company, Box, public.”

Jan LaFountaine retired from her position as executive assistant to the Superintendent at the end of September. She joined the MISD in 2009 after nearly 24 years in the Renton School District, the last eight of which she served as executive assistant to the Superintendent. Board members there affectionately referred to her as their “den mother.” She was held in the same esteem by the MISD Board of Directors.