Two devoted professionals are retiring from James Caldwell High School this year with a combined total of 56 teaching years. Ms. Elizabeth Coogan-Russell will retire after 30 years teaching Spanish and Ms. Lisabeth Powell will retire after 26 years as a Special Education Teacher.
Known to students as Sra. Coogan-Russell and Coach Coogan-Russell has centered her career on teaching and coaching students while guiding them to be the best they can be. Coach Coogan-Russell can be found on the track or at the swimming pool coaching swim, track and cross country at JCHS! She inspires and has close relationships with her students making them feel comfortable in her learning environment. In the classroom, she prepares her AP students diligently for their AP tests and inspires her students to speak Spanish when in class with her so they can learn more naturally. Her high expectations encourage her students to work hard and persevere.
Much of her time is spent outside of the classroom as well. She coaches individual sports; running and swimming, where she shows her athletes how to work as a team, support each other and improve their own personal performance. She is enthusiastic and really cares about the progress and improvement of her student athletes.
Sra. Coogan-Russell is a dedicated role model and she will be missed at JCHS. Her future plans are to work as a translator in a hospital, continuing her work of helping and guiding others and a perfect role for her extremely caring and charismatic personality. She will also spend quality time with her family: husband Brendan and sons Owen and Finn-both JCHS graduates.
Ms.Powell is a very kind, intelligent, and overall amazing person. As a special education teacher, she has mainly taught Social Studies classes, and has been a teacher in the summer for the Extended School Year program. Her teaching efforts also go well beyond the classroom as she champions students and provides them with the support they need to achieve success.
She has helped with the Mentor to Self Help Club (now called Advocacy Club), arranged presentations by Chief Joseph and Maasai to enrich 9th grade African unit studies collaborating with Melody Wenger and Kacie Greene, worked as a coordinator for the Special Education department, was an HSA Teacher Representative for several years, and advised JCHS’s new Sign Language Club.
Mrs.Powell has also been a great role model for JCHS staff and students, and will be dearly missed. She is looking forward to spending time with her family and friends including husband Ralph, sons Kieran and Brendan, and daughter-in-law Amanda. Additionally, she plans to travel to Ireland, Texas and Maryland where she will spend time with family.
Ms. Coogan-Russell and Mrs. Powell, thank you for all that you have done for JCHS and we wish you the best for your retirement! May you experience many years of health and happiness.
