Glacier Bears for life

PALMER — The Sherrod Elementary School faculty family will be losing two cherished members who have served nearly 60 years together at the Palmer school. The stories of Lyle Busbey and Tom Hermon at the school starts long before their teaching careers did 30 years ago.

“I have great pride in being born in Palmer going to Swanson, going to Sherrod,” Busbey said.

Busbey and Hermon were just two of the many Mat-Su Borough School District retirees this year. Busbey taught physical education for 31 years in the Mat-Su Borough School District, the last 29 of those as Sherrod’s second P.E. teacher. Busbey left high school in the Valley to play college baseball and study construction management. He took a semester off when his mother and sister suggested that his ability to adapt to any sport and his love of teaching children meant he should be a P.E. teacher. Busbey also took time to coach basketball during his 29 years at Sherrod. He coached at many levels and led the Palmer High School girls basketball team to a state title. Busbey chose elementary school because he felt he could have the most impact on a child’s life in those developmental years. One such pupil has since become a teacher and coach on his own.

“Eric Strabel is definitely one that will always stick in my mind of a kid who was determined. I just told him the hard work will pay off and it did,” Busbey said.

Strabel went on to win a state cross-country running title in 1999, and was the state’s top cross-country skier for three years at Colony High School. Busbey figures that he has taught or coached over 4,700 athletes.

“It’s just seeing the kids when they get it,” Busbey said. “That moment, that ‘a-ha’ moment that kids get.” Busbey said.

Busbey also helped oversee the Sherrod cross-country running team in the fall. Busbey says that he is proud of how many kids run cross-country every year. Seeing students work toward their goals and achieve them was Busbey’s goal in 29 years as a Sherrod’s P.E. teacher. Busbey is proud that even if only a small handful of athletes had a chance at winning the race, so many came to be a part of the team.

“It’s no different than what they’re doing in the classroom with the academics of testing and seeing where they’re at, it’s just physically a test yourself against yourself but also to be as part of a team,” Busbey said.

Arriving at Sherrod just prior to Busbey was Tom Hermon. Hermon taught sixth grade in his first year and has taught third grade for the last 29 year at Sherrod. Hermon said that his favorite time to teach was during the October and November months when students see incredible progress in building on what they already know. Hermon coached cross-country alongside Busbey every year and volunteered his time to coach basketball.

“There were some years where we didn’t get paid but you know, we’d just do it anyway because we did it because we liked it and the kids liked it so we just did it,” Hermon said.

One of Hermon’s favorite events during the school year was the floor hockey tournament in Busbey’s classroom, the Sherrod gymnasium. Hermon recalled playing floor hockey when the two were Sherrod students themselves and how far plastic hockey sticks have improved since then. For the last three decades Hermon has watched the game as his Hermon’s Hotshots competed.

“Lyle has really boosted our school in the team spirit from the classroom to P.E.,” Hermon said of Busbey.

Hermon recalled Little League teams with Busbey and playing high school basketball together. While Busbey and Hermon are mired in the traditions of Palmer, neither were hesitant to learn something new. Hermon credits former principal Dan Michael with pushing the Capturing Kid’s Hearts initiative which helped break Hermon of old practices.

“I thought about some things and I changed the way I was dealing with kids and it’s much more successful now than when I just took that hard line,” Hermon said.

Hermon spoke about how taking a hard line with students had been a standard for teachers as he grew up. But as the needs of the students became more diverse, social and emotional learning became more prevalent in the school day.

“You’ve got to know the kid and you want to build the relationship to get that trust to get the most you can out of them,” Hermon said.

Busbey said that the additional time put into the school day for social and emotional learning has absolutely helped. Busbey was an innovator during his 29 years as the Sherrod P.E. teacher. Busbey didn’t shy away from introducing a tumbling unit. While female students may not always take an interest in the traditional ball sports, Busbey saw the tumbling unit as a way for his female athletes to shine and improve their skills. Busbey also focused on team activities instead of individual athletics. Busbey used a version of the game of tag to keep an entire class of students engaged while teaching the phases of the salmon life cycle through the game. Busbey says that he often took the advice of the late Dan Strouse, Kay Omer and his predecessor Pat Gore. Busbey said that both he and Hermon benefitted from senior staff that helped mentor them when they started three decades ago. With remaining pillars of institutional knowledge, Busbey’s advice to teachers is to learn from those who have gone before.

“There’s a lot of people that have been here and gone before you or have been there, so don’t think you have to go invent anything new,” Busbey said.

Before every school day for 29 years, Busbey has done bus duty, ushering students from the buses into the Sherrod building. He says it’s a great way to get excited for the day by seeing hundreds of elementary schoolers head towards their classrooms. Not only did Busbey and Hermon benefit from the teachers that went before them, but they left their impression before retiring this May.

“Those are the people who know the area know what the area expects and how they expect it done and how they can help you get there, and that’s what they did for me,” said Mark Hoffman.

Hoffman was the Sherrod principal from 1997 to 2011 and benefitted from the lifetime of service at Sherrod.

“It’s pretty incredible that in a state as young as Alaska that two people were born there, raised there, came back there, and worked their whole career,” Hoffman said.

While both have retired from teaching, neither will disappear from the community. Busbey expects to help out with running in the fall.

“It’s about reaching the kid. Academics is secondary. To me, it was always about, even though I was taught that hard line. That’s what I followed for years, it’s that relationship,” Hermon said. “If you can get a kid to smile. If you can be their cheerleader and egg them on and they’ll show growth that’s what it’s about for me, it’s that relationship.”

Contact Frontiersman reporter Tim Rockey at tim.rockey@frontiersman.com.