For students and staff at Holy Angels School in Aurora, few will ever forget the now-retired Laura Waegner, who began teaching in Aurora in 1969 and went on to forge an amazing career that spanned 55 years, with all but one spent at Holy Angels.
Waegner, 79, retired at the end of last school year. Her first year of teaching was at neighboring St. Rita School in Aurora in 1969 before starting her more than five decades at Holy Angels School at 720 Kensington Place the next year.
On Friday, the city renamed the 700 block of Kensington Place in her honor during a ceremony witnessed by hundreds of people.
“This is something that I’m very humbled about and never expected when I first walked through that door of the school years ago,” Waegner said just before the start of the ceremony. “I’m truly humbled. You know, when I started in 1970, I wasn’t planning that I was going to break a record or anything like that. I just got up every day and came to school and I loved it.”
Clayton Muhammad, chief engagement and equity officer for the city of Aurora, called Waegner a “legend in education” who taught “generations of students” at Holy Angels.
“She’s just one of those educators who always has done the best for students and always wanted to expose them to diversity and excellence and keep them aware of what is happening in the world,” he said.
The lifelong middle school social studies teacher was presented with a proclamation last year from Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin when she retired and now has added to that with a portion of Kensington Place renamed in her honor: Laura Waegner Way.
Dozens of former colleagues as well as students were on hand to witness the unveiling of the new street sign as well as hear Waegner speak.
Katie Timm Ganey of Aurora said she had classes led by the iconic social studies teacher while attending Holy Angels School.
“I had her as a teacher from 1994 through 1996. I’m not sure there has even been a teacher who loves to teach history more than she does,” Ganey said. “The American Constitution and just about U. S. government. My mom taught with her for a long time and now my kids go to this school, so she’s touched our lives for a long time and it’s important to honor her today. She’s a tough act to follow.”
Former Holy Angels Principal Rosemary Hauser, who served for 15 years at the school including three-and-a-half years as principal and the rest as a teacher, called Waegner “a model employee.”
“When they mentioned technology, Laura embraced it and she was ahead of everybody. She was wonderful and I think it was one of the things that sustained her and kept her relevant as the years went by,” Hauser said. “One of the things I remember about her is that she was always the first to arrive every morning. I’d walk down the hall and say ‘Morning, Laura’ and I see her frequently at Fox Valley events now and every time I see her, I’ll still say that.”
Hauser said whenever she visited Waegner’s classroom, “the kids were always engaged.”
“You never saw kids needing discipline because she was so engaged in what she was doing. She always had wonderful presentations and got them busy immediately,” Hauser said. “They respected her and loved her. She dedicated her life – that came through and the kids knew that.”
Before the unveiling of the new street sign, Waegner spoke about why she chose to teach social studies and offered some advice to current and future teachers about how to be successful.
“I chose history because of the line that says, ‘If you don’t know your history, you’re bound to repeat it.’ I stayed in this because I loved being with the kids,” she said. “I taught sixth, seventh, and eighth grade and sixth-graders are still so young. They enjoy anything. We’re going to lay on the floor and pretend you’re Michelangelo and draw pictures. Seventh- and eighth-graders are moving on and are getting ready for high school and it’s interesting to see them step up and accept responsibility for their learning and ask questions.
“As far as advice for teachers, make sure that your students know you really care about them and how they are doing,” she added. “If they know you care, they’ll follow you anywhere.”
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
