After many years of dedicated service, math teacher Ginger Leach is retiring from State High, leaving behind a legacy of care and inspiration for her students.
Finding her passion for engineering in college, Leach started as an engineering major. After having two kids, Leach developed a passion for math and decided to pursue her career in teaching. She spent half of her college experience at Lock Haven and the other half at Penn State. She decided to join the State High staff after student teaching under Shai McGowan. Leach loved the State High community and was inspired to work here.
“I get the impression from students they actually care, they have goals, they have aspirations in general and they really want to be successful,” Leach said. “I think they’re held to a higher standard here at State High than I think maybe some other districts.”
While Leach has had an impactful teaching career and many different accomplishments, she feels that her biggest highlight was the effect she had on thousands of students.
“They walk across the stage every June. Those are my accomplishments. All the letters. I’ve gotten over the years from kids all the thank-yous. You cannot imagine what that’s like,” Leach said.
Students have also felt her positive impact on their experience at State High, learning about who she is as a person and appreciating how she treats her students. From being personable in class to telling stories about her own life, Leach truly connected with her students. Senior Sophia Reutzel reflected on her relationship with Leach and how she helped her grow as a person.
“I was struggling with some mental health problems last year and she always put me as a person before me as a test taker or me as someone in her math class,” Reutzel said. “I’m very thankful for how we were able to relate and how she was looking to help me beyond math.”
While she had a lasting impact on students, she also developed bonds and friendships with other teachers in the department.
“I just have some really nice bonds with my colleagues, a lot of the teachers here. It’s a very professional environment, a very caring environment, and a lot of cooperation. So, yeah, I’m going to miss a lot of those things, but I hope to stay in contact with all those people,” Leach said.
Math teacher and math department coordinator, Tyler Constable, worked with Leach for many years and mentioned what he loved about her.
“[Leach] was here when I first started teaching here, so I believe this will be 10 years we worked together,” Constable said. “She just gave us so much energy and compassion and leadership on the courses that she was a part of, so she will greatly be missed.”
Leach was a dedicated teacher, putting immense time and effort into teaching and helping her students. She continuously showed up before and after school to help kids understand her material. She went above and beyond to bond with her kids while staying committed to helping them learn by developing extra resources and personally guiding kids through her units.
“Mrs. Leach was really good at working with her students, even if it was just clarifying the study guide or holding review sessions. She always made sure that there was open communication and helpfulness before tests,” junior Lauren Krentzman said. “She was a really great geometry teacher. [..] She has a very kind, warm personality.”
“I’ve been so inspired by her willingness to go above and beyond for her students and that’s something that inspires me and motivates me to do the same thing for my students,” Constable said. “I mean, she’s taught me [..] to keep students as the focus, and I really appreciate that about her.”
Although Leach has had many highlights with her experience at State High, she has dealt with and overcome her share of challenges. Technology has grown and developed in the last couple of years, with COVID-19 changing its use in the classroom setting from 49% to 80%. This has greatly affected how teachers have to adapt and change their teaching styles, Leach included.
“With technology, you know, it used to be that if you wanted to find information you had to actually go get a book. A physical hard copy of a book [..]. If you wanted to find a formula you had to know where to find that, and so over time now we can just Google it. You can just look it up,” Leach said. “It’s been an adjustment, I would say, but I really think I have tried to help students actually think more critically about what they’re doing.”
After an impactful career for students and teachers alike, Leach feels ready to settle down and relax during her well-deserved retirement. With plans to buy a truck and sell her house, she feels that her future could hold many plans, including being with her dad and moving to Kentucky to be with her kids in the future. Leach leaves behind a legacy of inspiration and commitment to her students and the State High community. Her presence and care will be missed, but her impact will continue to inspire staff and students alike for years to come.
