Most people, when they hear the word teacher, will instantly think of the definition: “Someone trained and explicitly educated on how to teach; one who delivers instruction.”
    However, those who have experienced a “true teacher” would say a teacher is a guide who helps students make the journey from knowledge to understanding through experience. The “true teacher” introduces new ideas to students and helps them use those ideas and knowledge in performance.
    There is no teacher that fits this definition more than Mary Jo Hangartner who retired from Turkey Valley Community School after 32 years of service as high school speech and English teacher, competitive speech and debate coach, and seventh through 12 grade Gifted Talented Program coordinator. 
    Mrs. Hangartner has introduced more new ideas and has had students actually put them into practice more than any other teacher I know.
    One of the first innovations Mrs. Hangartner taught was required oral communications for all eighth grade students. In this course, she taught parliamentary procedure, and then had the students hold meetings where they actually wrote and debated bills and passed many of them on to the administration at school. Some actually were put into practice!
    In English classes, one of her most memorable projects was an international, internet exchange program between students and WWII veterans. Mrs. Hangartner was also influential in introducing into the curriculum required sophomore communications and a non-required senior communications.
    Mrs. Hangartner was one of the teachers instrumental in convincing the Turkey Valley School Board that a new course called senior careers was needed to help students enter the world of work after graduation.  It was made a required class for all seniors and many alumni have written to say it was their most valuable course. 
    Finally, she introduced and team taught an honors course called English seminar. This class is a three-year humanities pod in which students were taught to think, make connections and also become acquainted with great works of literature.
    Mrs. Hangartners’ students’ achievements have been numerous – a “national finalist” in speech; several all state speakers in individual events; and two teams who finished in the final five at the Regional Future Cities competition when each was both in seventh and eighth grade, one of which went on to the national competition both years.
    Mrs. Hangartner wrote many grants for funding a photography project at Turkey Valley which enabled seventh through 12th grade students to learn photography from an expert, guest instructor. They  then used their newly learned skills to produce calendars, photo art, and cards for sale by the Winneshiek County Tourism Council, and an exhibit at the Octogon Gallery in Ames.
    Mrs. Hangartner assisted two groups of photography students and their parents to organize and raise funds for a 10-day photo trip to Taos, N.M., with Iowa Arts Council photographer-in-residence Robert Campagna.
    Mrs. Hangartner has exemplified, throughout her entire career, the definition of a “true teacher.” Although Mrs. Hangartner has given so much to the students at Turkey Valley and has guided so many of them to succeed outside of their own academic setting, both while attending school and after graduation, she has always stayed in the background, letting the individual students have all of the credit and limelight. 
    It is now time to shine the spotlight on her and acknowledge everything she has given to the Turkey Valley Community.