With next year coming up fast, the administration and staff prepare for incoming freshman. Next fall, there will be fewer students coming into the high school, which means that there will not be as many kids to fill classes.   

“At a point next year,” said Chambers, “We still need math and science teachers, we still need art and music teachers, but we don’t need as much,” said Chambers, “So we are looking at reducing a portion of what they teach, which means that their contract would be reduced. They wouldn’t be paid as much because they wouldn’t be teaching as much.” 

Someone in the community thought that it was very important to keep the teachers. That person said to Chambers that it was important not to [reduce teachers] because if somebody does that, they may go look for jobs somewhere else where they can get a full time job. 

“The person approached me and said they would be willing to pay that difference so they[teachers] wouldn’t have to be reduced,” said Chambers, “That was very very generous. We are very thankful for that. 

On February 11, the staff had a meeting with Chambers. There, he explained what had happened. 

“Mr. Chambers got really choked up and he couldn’t tell us. He couldn’t even continue talking to us,” said math teacher Sue Polzin, “He said, ‘I just want you to know that someone has donated specifically to math and science.’ And then he couldn’t finish.” 

Without knowing what was donated, vice principal Mark Weddig took over and told the staff that somebody has donated [money], somebody who wants to remain anonymous. 

“Everybody[teachers] was so shocked that Mr. Chambers could hardly talk, that there was this tremendous hush[in the room],” said Polzin, “There were probably mixed feelings about it in some ways, but the overall feeling about it…you just didn’t know how to react to it.” 

Science teacher Donna Wojo was unable to attend the meeting that had occurred, but was fortunate enough to hear the news of the anonymous donor. 

“When I heard it, I was like wow,” said Wojo, “On one hand you’re happy because you’re like we might get to keep some really good teachers. On the other hand, it’s like a sad state of affairs when we have to rely on gifts and donations to fund our teachers.”