“Therese has spent almost all of her professional career in Gaylord,” Wojtas said of Hansen. “I had the privilege of working with her in her role as our special education lead teacher this past year. She has been doing a great job in the district. I look forward to working with both Dan and Therese.”

The district is currently in the process of hiring a new Gaylord High School principal. Principal Lori Pearson has accepted a curriculum position with the Cheboygan-Otsego-Presque Educational Service District which provides services to 10 school districts in Northern Michigan.

Ron Skoglund, school board memeber

Gaylord Community Schools (GCS) newest school board member, Ron Skoglund, was sworn in at the start of last week’s board meeting, replacing Mark Vaporis, who resigned last month to become minister of a church in Wyoming.

Skoglund said he submitted a letter of interest after hearing of the board vacancy because “I have two children in the school system and I’m proud of our schools and want to see them continue to provide a quality education for our students. I’ve been proud that the high school graduation rate is high here, while I’ve seen it go down in other districts.”

Skoglund and his family moved to Gaylord when he opened Telephone Support Systems 10 years ago.

“I feel that from the technical and business standpoint I can be of help to the board. I’m interested in what I can bring to the table with my business and technology experience.”

He was appointed Aug. 11 to serve on the school board’s technology committee.

Skoglund said he was impressed with the diligence and attention to detail he saw displayed by the board at the Aug. 11 meeting.

“Nothing is taken for granted here,” he said. “They take a good look before making any decisions. I like that because everything we do is going to have an impact on our students and it’s important that we get it right.”

Financial issues will continue to pose the biggest challenge for the board and its newest member.

“The financial challenge is always there. We need to do what is financially responsible,” Skoglund said. “Anything we can to do help our students to be better prepared in the world today is important. It’s the kids, they’re the whole reason we’re here, right?”

Skoglund’s appointment to the board will run through the annual school board elections in May when the board seat will be up for election. Skoglund said he has plans to be a school board candidate in May’s election.

 Therese Hansen at S. Maple



South Maple Elementary School’s new principal, Therese Hansen, has been a familiar face around the school district having spent most of her career in education with Gaylord Community Schools (GCS).

Hansen, who has been with the district since 1989, comes to her new position after serving as GCS special education lead teacher for the past year.

“I’m honored and fortunate to be working with a staff of the caliber of South Maple in conjunction with Dan Vaara at North Ohio,” Hansen said of the new position she began Aug. 6. Vaara is North Ohio Elementary School’s new principal. (see related story)

Hansen holds a bachelor’s degree in special education from Central Michigan University and a master’s degree from Grand Valley State University in special education administration. She has worked as the Title I/at-risk coordinator at Gaylord Intermediate School and taught fourth grade, first at Elmira Elementary and later at the Intermediate School.

As special education lead teacher, Hansen was responsible for serving as a resource and support person for GCS teachers and school administrators and to see that special education laws and guidelines were being met within the district. The position was created last year.

“It’s an exciting time to be in education and we have an outstanding leader in Cheryl Wojtas (GCS superintendent),” Hansen said enthusiastically. “My philosophy is to work with building and district staff to do what is best for students in the elementary grades.”

Hansen is married to Kevin Hansen, a fifth-grade teacher at the Gaylord Intermediate School. The couple have two sons: Matthew, 17, a senior at Gaylord High School; and Robb, 13, a student at Gaylord Middle School.

Dan Vaara at N. Ohio



North Ohio Elementary School’s new principal Dan Vaara spent his childhood in Hancock, attended college at Grand Valley State University, was a teacher in Colon near the Michigan-Indiana border, and was Ontonagon’s elementary school principal the past two years.

 He decided it might be time to try a geographic area somewhere in between the southern part of the state and the extreme reaches of the Upper Peninsula — hence Gaylord and a new job with Gaylord Community Schools (GCS).

“My dad was a school administrator and I had always heard a lot of good things about Gaylord Schools,” Vaara said of the new job he began Aug. 11. “It’s a great area. I wanted to be in a larger school district within a smaller community. Gaylord was a perfect fit for me.”

Vaara replaces Dennis O’Brien, who retired at the end of the school year after 33 years as principal at the school.

Vaara, 34, earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Grand Valley State University as well as a master’s in educational administration.

The new principal brings a wealth of experience from his job as K-6 principal at Ontonagon’s elementary school which has an enrollment of around 300 students.

“In addition to principal, I was the district’s special education coordinator and dealt on a daily basis with transportation and food service issues at the elementary. I did everything, which was a lot of work, but I learned quite a bit.”

Vaara said one of the challenges he will face at his new school, which has an enrollment of around 500 students, will be to define his role in the district.

“Before I did everything, now there are people here who have different roles because it’s a larger district and my greatest challenge will be learning how the district works,” he noted.

It may take the new principal time to get used to the idea of concentrating primarily being “just” the principal — working with students and staff.

“I’ve met some of the teachers and look forward to meeting and working with everybody this year,” said the new principal. “My goal is to learn every kid’s name at North Ohio by the end of the year.”

Vaara would like to extend a welcome for parents and students to attend this year’s North Ohio open house, which will be held Aug. 27 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

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