‘25

At the end of this school year, Mrs. Kusma, a well-loved fashion and foods teacher at Indian Hills, will be retiring. With 14 years of teaching at Hills, she agreed to answer some questions for Drumbeats, sacrificing what she hoped would be a secret retirement.

Recalling her early days as a teacher, Mrs. Kusma explains that she never intended to become a home economics teacher. “My mother suggested that I major in home economics in college,” she says, “so I did, and completed that course. But I graduated at a time when things were uncertain. There was a gas crisis […] So, I, instead of pursuing a teaching career, pursued something with the US government. After I had my first child, I had resigned my position, and I started to substitute teach, and I found that I really enjoyed it.”

When asked about her first moments at Hills, Mrs. Kusma shares, “I couldn’t find any jobs, and then I came down here, and it was on the day of my daughter’s senior prom.” As much as she has grown to love the school, she jokingly mentions, “I came down here for my interview, and I didn’t see any windows on the building. It doesn’t really leave this impression when you drive up to a place with no windows.”

The idea of accomplishments in her time here was an important one to her, though it took a bit of thought. Mrs. Kusma felt that one of her biggest accomplishments at Indian Hills was her first accomplishment, joining the community. She pointed out that, “At first you have to acclimate to a new school, new work environment. There’s a lot of people that don’t know you, and you don’t know them. But you eventually become part of a team that works together.” Her first accomplishment was one that many staff could share, being merely to meet new people, to get to know them, “more than just the surface ‘hi’.” She states that she became part of a family with the staff after some time, and was able to be there for them, and them for her, during both happy and sad times.

She acknowledges that when you are in the school, it is as though there is a heartbeat, a life. It is the energy that everybody has, usually a positive one, that makes her appreciate the school so much.

As she turns another page in her life after retiring, Mrs. Kusma comments that she is looking forward to sleeping more. “I’m still deciding what I want to do. I recently decided that I’m going to play golf. I’ll be looking for things to do now, looking for areas to volunteer sometimes.” She seeks to broaden her horizon and try new things with her newfound spare time.