Longtime Red Rock Elementary School special education teacher Linda Warren was recently honored as Grand County School District’s Teacher of the Year.

Warren, who worked for the school district for 35 years, received the award at a district employee meeting on May 18. Later that evening, during Grand County High School’s commencement ceremony, Warren, along with six other teachers, briefly took the stage as Grand County School District Superintendent Margaret Hopkin announced that the seven educators would all be retiring after long careers with the district.

Among those standing alongside Linda Warren was her husband and co-worker Tom Warren, who is retiring after 34 years with Grand County School District.

A native of Loveland, Colo., Linda Warren graduated from the University of Northern Colorado and did her student teaching in Grand Junction, which is where she first met Tom.

After her student teaching stint, Warren moved to Moab to take a job at Moab’s Helen M. Knight School, which at the time also had students in grades K-3.

“My story is I came to Moab in 1975 to teach here for one year,” Warren said.

A year later, Tom Warren moved over from Grand Junction (he had taught for three and a half years in Colorado) to teach at Moab’s other elementary school, Southeast Elementary, which later became known as Red Rock Elementary.

The Warrens were married in 1977 and ended up spending most of their careers teaching in the same building. Linda has been the Title I coordinator at Red Rock Elementary for the past 20 years, while Tom has been teaching second grade.

Together, they are retiring with a total of 69 years of teaching experience within Grand County School District.

After school let out for the summer this year, Linda spent several days boxing up materials and memories in the Title I relocatable classroom she’s worked in for the past two decades.

Warren noted a few of the highlights of her career:

• Receiving her master’s degree in teaching and learning from Regis University.

• Team-teaching second grade with Lucy Curtis early in her career.

“It’s a very valuable experience to learn from another teacher,” Warren said.

• Working with the Utah Writing Project since 1986. The workshop “changed the way I perceived what goes on in the classroom,” she said.

• Being involved with the Grand Education Association for many years, including stints as president.

“It’s been wonderful getting to know and work with the many other talented teachers in the district,” Warren said.

Most of all, Warren said she appreciates being able to work with the students.

“Kids have so much ownership (in their learning),” she said. “It’s really powerful.”

Warren said she also would like to thank her colleagues, in addition to the many volunteer parents and community members, for their ongoing support over the years.

As for the Warrens’ future plans, they say they are enjoying their newfound free time, and are working on developing their part-time side business marketing reading books to teachers.

Also, don’t expect them to stay away from the new Helen M. Knight Elementary School when it opens this fall.

“We’re going to keep volunteering at the school, and stay involved,” Linda said. “Moab is our home, and we’re not going anyplace.”

Besides the Warrens, the other GCSD teachers retiring at the end of this school year are Tom Eyler, Nori Swanson, Rosanne Nicol, Kathey McNeely, and Peggy Harty. In addition, three longtime classified employees also are retiring: Sue Cook, Gail Lea, and Gloria Molina.

The district also recently recognized employee of the year, Becky Carrigan and friend of education of the year, Mary McElhaney. They will be profiled in separate future articles.