February 13, 2015 at 3:50 p.m.
Retired educators stay in touch through RAREA
Retired educators stay in touch through RAREA
By Kayla Thomason-
"(RAREA) keeps us in touch with what other educators are doing, volunteering, what's happening in public education right now, just being connected to some of our fellow educators," said Joan Belongia, president of the Rhinelander Area Retired Educators Association.
Belongia has served as club president for two years. She retired 12 years ago after teaching reading, English, math and social studies at James Williams Middle School.
She said the group's main focus is to protect the rights, interests and well-being of retired educators in the Rhinelander area.
To that end, the organization fosters professional spirit and interest in education-related legislation.
"We encourage and support favorable legislation but we're called a nonpartisan," Belongia said. "In other words, we don't support any (political) party. We support public education and our pension plan."
RAREA promotes collegiality, preserves friendships and fulfills the need for social contacts, according to Belongia.
Club members also promote volunteerism and community service. They keep a busy schedule helping the Rhinelander Area Food Pantry and the Weekend Food for Kids backpack program.
RAREA also hosts a rummage sale to raise money for scholarships, which is awarded to students entering the field of education. The scholarship is $1,500.
The club works with Nicolet Area Technical College to find a student pursing a degree in education who has completed two years of schooling.
"We really feel that it is important to be able to provide and assist people going into the School of Education in college and becoming educators," Belongia said.
The club is especially focused on protecting public education.
"Our main purpose is to protect our pension plan and also to support public education," Belongia said.
Many voucher schools are popping up, which take money from the public schools, according to Belongia.
"If money is taken away from the public schools it means we can provide less programs, we may have to combine classes (and) have more students in the classess etc.," she added.
RAREA also supports educators who have created innovative educational programs.
"Five (Wisconsin Retired Educators Association) Challenge Awards, of which RAREA members contributed financially to, are given out each year for innovative educational programs in Wisconsin," Belongia said. "(Rhinelander High School) counselor, Susan Hampton, won a $2,000 grant in 2014 for her program on student diversity. Susan presented her program to RAREA members in the fall of 2014."
RAREA volunteers also help to maintain a local museum devoted to the history of education in the area.
"The retired teachers group helped move that rural schoolhouse from just outside of Rhinelander to that complex (at Pioneer Park) and helped restore it and man it," Belongia said.
Volunteers work at the museum informing guests about what the rural Wisconsin school system was like in the 1800s.
RAREA has hosted a number of educational and entertainment programs over the years, Belongia said.
One program featured a retired teacher who fought in Vietnam discussing the experience.
Belongia had some sage words of wisdom for those who are new to the education field or who are about to enter it.
"Become well acquainted with co-workers so you have a support system in your years of teaching, especially your first year," she said.
She also said new teachers should ask for a mentor to shadow through the first year.
"Teachers need all the support that they can get because there are so many non-teaching duties that are put upon them by the cuts in education, the financial cuts in education," she said.
For more information about RAREA, contact Belongia at (612) 325-7991.
Kayla Breese may be reached at [email protected].
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