PETOSKEY — After nearly 30 years in the Public Schools of Petoskey, Lynne Lesky is getting ready to say goodbye to the classroom and hello to some new opportunities.
Born and raised in Mackinaw City, Lesky always knew she wanted to live and work in Northern Michigan. After graduating from Central Michigan University and spending a 3-year stint in a school district near Mount Pleasant, she knew she wanted to be closer to home.
When a job opened in Petoskey for an elementary media specialist position 29 years ago, Lesky jumped at the opportunity.
“When the opening came up with Petoskey, that was exactly what I had planned for my life, was to get back up here and teach up here, it was what I always wanted to do,” Lesky said. "It was exactly where I want to be.”
She worked in the role for 10 years before making the switch to working as a high school English teacher for the district, a position she’s held since.
“I was really reluctant to move to the high school. I was actually petrified,” she told the News-Review. “I felt like it was such a big building, and it was going to take a lot to get used to it ... but really, once I got used to it, it was really nothing to be worried about at all.”
Lesky’s time in the district has been acknowledged and recognized by both the community and her peers. In her last year, she earned both the Rotary Club of Petoskey's Teacher of the Year recognition and one of the district’s OPIE award nominations.
She said that the Teacher of the Year recognition was a complete shock to her. Lesky said she had previously been nominated and interviewed for the award, but she didn’t go through the same process this year.
“I just couldn't imagine getting it because it goes to one person of all the people in Petoskey,” she said. “I have always worked really hard and wanted to do my best and kind of strive for those kinds of things, not expecting to get them. It was really a surprise, and it is such an honor for the Rotary to pick me for that award of all the people in Petoskey.”
The OPIE award, which stands for Outstanding Person in Education, was exciting for Lesky as well, because her fellow colleagues in the teacher’s union are the ones who made the nomination.
“Not only was I recognized by the community for my work, but also by my peers, which is really, really incredible to have your peers pick you out as that person,” Lesky said. "That is also very meaningful, maybe more meaningful, even, to know that I've made those connections, and that I've worked hard for my colleagues as well.”
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Throughout her 32 years in teaching, Lesky saw many changes in the job, whether it was a growing emphasis in career technical education courses or a virtual classroom during the COVID-19 pandemic. The one thing that never changed, she said, was the kids.
“The kids are still the same kids they always were,” Lesky said. "I think COVID reminded us that we're all very vulnerable, and that we need to work even harder to take care of each other.
“In preparing kids to go out into the world, that's one of those things, is to prepare them for those vulnerabilities.”
While her time in the classroom is coming to an end, Lesky’s time in Northern Michigan is not. She started working as a director at the Alanson Area Public Library in a part-time role back in November but will switch to full time after retirement.
She said she’s looking forward to getting to work with children and adults in the new role while focusing on literacy.
— Contact reporter Karly Graham atkgraham@petoskeynews.com. Follow her on Twitter at@KarlyGrahamJRN.
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