Principal retires after more than 42 years at Lakeland School
By Vicky Wedig
Staff Writer
Mr. K has left the building.
After 42 ½ years at Lakeland School in Elkhorn, Greg Kostechka, of Delavan, retired Friday.
Students celebrated Mr. K’s re“tie”rement with an assembly in the gym riddled with puns centered around neckties and moose – two things Kostechka is known for.
A banner in the gym – with painted renderings of moose – announced, “We will ‘moose’ you,” and staff wore neckties along with the special needs children, some with ties crafted from construction paper clipped to their shirts.
Kostechka started at Lakeland School, when it was a 67,000-square-foot school on Court Street in Elkhorn, more than 42 years ago. He began as the adaptive physical education teacher and moved into a role as aquatics director before becoming the principal, said school administrator Tracy Moate, who has worked with Kostechka 32 ½ of those years.
“He’s a man that’s very humble,” she said. “He has this unique wisdom as far as being able to interact with kids and adults.”
Kostechka’s connection with the school’s students with disabilities was evident Friday when some students – many of whom attend the school for 18 years – had difficulty emotionally with Kostechka’s departure.
Kostechka said his interest in special education stemmed from having a brother with Down Syndrome who passed away Feb. 1. He coached Special Olympics for 19 years and moved into the principal’s role at Lakeland after obtaining his administration degree and special education license.
Kostechka said he considers himself a support person for the more than 100 teachers and support staff in the building. He is involved in developing students’ individual education plans and knows all the kids by name.
“I’m not one to sit behind my desk,” he said.
Moate said Kostechka always left his ego at the door, which is critical in the special education field, and has an unseen sense of humor, which contributed to his longevity in the field.
She said Kostechka could always be seen doing all the unnoticed things like running the grill at School Fest, manning the waffle iron or opening the school doors for students at the end of the day.
Kostechka said he has no specific plans for retirement but will likely spend more time with his family – wife, Patty, children Carrie, Caleb, Casey and Claire and grandchildren in Wisconsin and Oregon.
To send him off Friday, the school’s 204 students gathered in the gym sporting their neckties, and Jodi Bronson, school psychologist and director of pupil services, presented a slide show of scrapbook pages each class made for Mr. K.
One slide cited “reasons we love Mr. K.” His kind heart, patience and neckties were among the reasons. One summed it up with this:
“Mr. K. always listens when I want to talk.”
Greg is my cousin who I have unfortunately probably not seen in those 42 years, but I am proud of his accomplishments and compassion, and wish him all the best in his retirement.