Marlis Campbell Story

 A Love for Learning

“If we succeed in giving the love of learning, the learning itself is sure to follow.”

—-John Lubbock

Each day brings with it opportunities to learn, no matter the learner's age. Some of these lessons are mastered independently through experiences, discovery, and reflection, while others are taught directly or indirectly by parents, adults, coaches, or mentors. There are concepts that are grasped that come out of necessity, with other bits of knowledge learned as a result of curiosity and desire. Some examples include lessons being taught because of societal and curricular expectations. Whatever the skills or concepts may be, mastering them becomes easier and more natural when a love of learning exists. As teachers, we constantly strive to ignite a passion and joy for learning for each of our students. For some students, this love is already at a high level. Wattles Park first-grade teacher, Marlis Campbell, developed an excitement for learning early on in her life. Perhaps this is what eventually led her to a career as a teacher.

Marlis, a lifelong resident of Michigan, packed her bags often growing up as her family moved more than once from one side of the state to another. “I was born in Flint, Michigan in 1972, and lived there until I was two years old,” Marlis explains. “My dad, Dale, worked as a social worker for the State. He was transferred to Traverse City for two years, and then he was relocated back to Flint.” A few years after returning to Flint, Marlis’ dad transitioned again to a new job, and her family moved to East Lansing, where she would spend the majority of the rest of her childhood. Marlis is the oldest of three children for Dale and her mother, Tonya. Elizabeth was born two years after Marlis, and Megan five years after Elizabeth. 

It seemed that Marlis was immersed in opportunities to grow and learn from as far back as she can remember. She reflects on some of her childhood memories. “I attended preschool after we moved back to Flint, and started Kindergarten when we moved to East Lansing just two days into the school year”  School provided Marlis with ample opportunities to learn and grow, something she enjoyed very much, but she would be blessed with these same kinds of experiences beyond the classroom. Marlis gives details about childhood recollections outside of school. “I remember having fun as a child, playing with neighborhood kids at the park and riding my bike all around my community. I was also a Girl Scout during my elementary and middle school years.” Tonya was a stay-at-home mom and volunteered as Marlis’s Brownie troop leader. Being a Girl Scout provided Marlis with many fond memories. “I loved outdoor excursions as a Girl Scout, earning badges while attending camp every summer.” The joy that Marlis experienced as a Girl Scout has carried over through her adult life. She and her family have tent-camped through the years. Now that her children are adults, she and her husband, Craig, continue camping but have scaled back a bit, making the switch from tent to cabin. Surprisingly, as a lifelong Michigan resident and being someone who loves the outdoors, Marlis has never been to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. She will have her first opportunity to explore the UP with Craig this summer on a camping trip they are planning in Copper Harbor, Au Train, and Ontanogan.

The knowledge that Marlis gained and the skill set she developed through exploring her surroundings as a child, along with the lessons taught to her through Girl Scouts, helped to supplement what she would learn in school, where she was in her element. Marlis gives details about her school experience. “I attended Central Elementary, in East Lansing, Kindergarten through fifth grade. This was a neighborhood school that I walked to each day. From there, I went to Hannah Middle School. I graduated from East Lansing High School in 1990.” Marlis has vivid memories of early on in school, starting with kindergarten. “I loved school from the first day. I remember thinking that my Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Berry, was the best. One specific recollection from Kindergarten involved being able to introduce the letter M. Each letter was introduced by a student whose name began with that letter. I was the only student whose name started with an M.”

Marlis’s passion for school picked up right where it left off when returning to first grade after summer vacation. She loved her new teacher, Mrs. Mock, just as much as she loved Mrs. Berry. Marlis and her parents were invited to come in and set up the fish tank in Mrs. Mock’s classroom at the start of the school year, a treat Marlis will likely never forget. As an adult, one of Marlis’s favorite pastimes is reading. She talks about how her passion as a reader was ignited when she was in fourth grade. “I enjoyed reading from the time I learned how to read, but it was my fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Andrews, who really was responsible for me falling in love with reading. The entire back wall of her classroom was devoted to celebrating books. It was an ocean of reading decorated with fish. Each time a student read a new book, the title of the book and the student’s name was printed on a fish and then the fish was added to the ocean on the wall.”

Elementary school was perhaps the highlight of Marlis’s public education experience. Learning to read brings with it confidence for many students, with the independence it creates in learning information and enjoying stories. Reading brought joy to Marlis and seemed to feed her desire to learn. The excitement of the elementary years for Marlis carried over to sixth grade through high school graduation, but there was a bump in the road that gave Marlis her first experience of struggle as a student. She reflects on her middle and high school experience. “When I was sixteen, I spent six months of my sophomore year attending Creston High School in Grand Rapids. Mom and Dad had recently divorced, and my sisters and I moved to Grand Rapids with Mom. This was a culture shock for me. East Lansing was a school that had predominately wealthy students with many MSU professors sending their kids there. Creston was more of an inner-city high school. My school experience in East Lansing was that the majority of students learned with ease. This was not the case at Creston. The disparity in how students learned from one school to another was a surprise for me.”

Marlis struggled to acclimate to her new school and home in Grand Rapids. The divorce, being away from their dad, and living in and attending a school in a new city seemed to cause conflict with Marlis and her sisters. Marlis explains. “My sisters and I were not getting along. Mom decided to send me back to East Lansing to live with Dad. My emotions were mixed. I felt somewhat abandoned by my Mom, but I was also happy to go back to my friends in East Lansing.” 

Being raised in a college town made a huge impact on Marlis’s childhood. She explains. “Growing up in a college town gave me opportunities for watching Big Ten sports live and provided a beautiful campus for me to explore. I had peers in my classes from all over the world because their parents were visiting professors at MSU. Living near campus provided opportunities to attend to art exhibits, concerts, and film nights.”  

Marlis spent less than a year in Grand Rapids, but the struggles that she experienced set her back academically when she returned to East Lansing High School. It took her some time to get back to speed with her studies. 

The blip in her Kindergarten through high school senior journey was not enough to take away her joy for school. Marlis discusses some of the highlights of her high school years. “I loved playing the clarinet while participating in marching band and concert band in high school. I also played soccer for two years. Another part of my experience as a teenager involved working part-time at a local grocery store as soon as I turned sixteen, continuing through my freshman year of college.”

Marlis realized that, as a high school student, she wanted to continue her education. She reflects on her first stint as a college student. “I knew early on that I would go to college.  Friends and adults had always told me that I should be a teacher, but I wasn’t interested in this at that time. I wanted a career as a lawyer. I wanted to help hearing-impaired individuals. During my freshman year of college, I lived at home and went to Lansing Community College to save money.” Growing up in the shadows of campus, Marlis wanted to attend Michigan State University, but her grades were not good enough.  “I transferred to Western Michigan University for my sophomore year and declared a major in sociology with criminal justice, graduating in 1994 with my BA degree.”

Marlis was unable to land a job in her field immediately and spent a year working at Target. Her supervisor there wanted her to train for a management position, but Marlis continued to search for a job related to sociology and criminal justice. She goes into detail about her first career. “After about a year of job hunting, I was hired at Lakeside Residential Treatment Center in 1995. I worked the PM shift from two to ten and was assigned to the restrictive unit where kids who needed more of a lock-down living situation were housed.” Marlis appreciated working at the treatment center, but it wasn’t always easy. “I enjoyed my time there. There was a lot of trauma to deal wit,h and after a while, I began to burn out. These children had social and academic difficulties.” Marlis worked for Lakeside Residential for about a decade and decided it was time to shift gears. She still wanted to help children but desired to make a difference earlier in their lives. Maybe she could help younger students avoid some of the decisions that the teens in the treatment center had made. She wanted to be an elementary school teacher. 

While working at Lakeside Residential, Marlis met her future husband. She reflects on this chapter in her life. “Craig and I worked together at Lakeside Residential. We became acquainted and started dating in 1996. Our firstborn, Hannah, was born in 1997, and Craig and I were married in 1998. Our second child, Nathan, was born two years later.” Marlis began the shift to her second career in 2000. “After Nathan was born, I started at Western Michigan University (WMU), taking courses to get my teaching degree,”  Marlis recalls. “I continued working while going to school, opening a licensed family daycare at home, and taking night and weekend classes. I graduated from WMU in 2005 with a teaching degree and an elementary teaching endorsement.”

The fall after graduating from WMU, Marlis began her teaching journey. She talks about this process. “My first teaching job was with Gull Lake Community Schools. I taught half days in a Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP) classroom, working with preschool children. To help supplement our income, I also tutored with Sylvan Learning Center.” As Marlis split her work day between Gull Lake and Sylvan Learning Center, she continued to search for a full-time teaching position.  “I taught at Gull Lake for two years before getting a full-time job with Head Start of Kalamazoo County. After three years with Head Start, I was hired as a fifth-grade teacher for Woodward Elementary in Kalamazoo.”

 Teaching fifth grade left Marlis feeling like she was out of her element. She missed working with preschool children and moved school districts again, taking a job as a GSRP teacher in Benton Harbor. She was back doing what she loved as a teacher. She was happy working in Benton Harbor, but the long daily commute from her home in Kalamazoo was something she could do without. A job opening would bring her to Harper Creek a few years later. “A friend of mine told me about a posting for a GSRP teacher at Beadle Lake Elementary. I applied, interviewed, and was offered the job. It seemed too good to pass up. I was still able to continue teaching pre-school, and my daily commute would be cut in half. I started the 2015 school year in the GRSP classroom at Beadle Lake.” It seemed as if things had finally fallen into place for Marlis in her second career, but another change was on the horizon. “Community Unlimited, an organization that works to provide enriching opportunities for children and their families, took over GSRP programming in 2018. I could have stayed with GSRP as an employee for Community Unlimited but would have taken a pay cut. Harper Creek administration assured me I would retain a teaching job as an employee with them, but I was uncertain of what I would be teaching. Even though I wasn’t sure what I would teach the following school year, I decided to stay.” 

Marlis waited patiently during the summer of 2018 to find out what her teaching assignment would be for the upcoming school year. She desperately wanted to continue working in a lower elementary classroom, but with her certification, she understood that teaching in the upper elementary or middle school was a possibility. Marlis reflects on the relief of knowing what she would be teaching. “ Finally, I received a call from Brent Swan a week before teachers were supposed to report to work, letting me know that I was coming to Wattles to teach first grade.” First grade was a bit of an adjustment for Marlis, but it seems to have worked out for her. “I like first grade. My early childhood background has helped me as a first-grade teacher. Sometimes, it can be overwhelming. There is so much change and growth for students in first grade, physically and academically. It is a huge year for students to become readers.” With the joy that Marlis finds with reading, perhaps being in a first-grade classroom is the perfect fit for her as a teacher. 

Marlis has been a beneficiary of the Grow Your Own Grant program through Harper Creek, which provides free tuition at WMU for paraprofessional staff to earn a teaching certificate and for teachers to earn a graduate degree. She talks about this opportunity. “I am a lifelong learner and am always looking for opportunities to learn as a teacher. I was so excited when the Grow Your Own Grant opportunity became available. I never thought that I would be able to get a Master's Degree. I am working towards a degree in Teaching English to Students of other Languages.” Marlis also went through the LETRS training a few years ago, which emphasizes how to teach reading. This training has helped her to look at reading instruction through a different lens. “LETRS has helped me to understand the science of teaching reading.”

Teaching is not always easy. There are plans that teachers follow and procedures that align with the guidelines for best practices, but things don’t always follow the script. Still, the rewards of teaching far outweigh the occasional negative experiences that are a part of the job. Marlis summarizes the rewards that she has enjoyed. “Seeing growth in children and the light bulb moments when they are excited about learning is very satisfying. I also love the classroom community that we build each year as a group.” With this being her second career, Marlis is not necessarily on the same timeline for retirement as her peers. She imagines herself teaching for at least another ten years.

Marlis has experienced the spectrum when it comes to working with our youth. Mentoring struggling teens during her first career most likely equipped her with some of the skills that she has used as a preschool and first-grade teacher. Perhaps how her time working with teenagers has helped her most in her current job is that it has provided the motivation to do everything she can so that her current students don’t find themselves in the same situation as the teens she worked with years ago. A variety of skills and experiences have guided Marlis in the day-to-day interactions she has had with our youth as a mentor and a teacher, with her love for laying the foundation.

Crunching the Numbers

Just Another Runner’s Perspective February 2025 Written By Gale Fischer

Running the Numbers

“Exercise not only tones the muscles but also refines the brain and revives the soul.”

—-Michael Treanor

Sustaining an active routine is beneficial to one’s whole health. First and foremost physical activity can raise the level of your physical health. The cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems are strengthened through movement, but studies also show that physical movement will boost brain power and capacity. I’ve always felt that running can double the benefit given to brain function. Scientists believe that movement can increase blood flow to the brain, stimulate brain chemicals, and reduce inflammation, but many runners enhance brain power beyond this by explicitly exercising the brain during the run. The hours spent on the roads and trails can provide a magnitude of time for thought and reflection. As a runner, I’ve often experienced how running stimulates the poetic and linguistic sections of my brain with opportunities for philosophical thought and reflection, but I have also seen how the analytic side of the brain receives a power boost. Runners crunch numbers before, during, and after the run.

Running goals are often tied to numbers. Whether one strives for a four-hour marathon, a sixty-minute 10K, or a twenty-five minute 5K, math is an essential part of monitoring these goals. Mental computation is used to calculate distances and times for training runs as well as race-day mile splits. Time statistics are just one element of what runners may strive for when pursuing future athletic accomplishments. 

 For some, completing a distance of three miles becomes the mountain to climb, with running ten miles, a marathon, or one hundred continuous miles representing milestones that become bucket list items for others. Striving for weekly, monthly, or annual mileage distance goals will often help motivate some to keep up with a running routine. Regardless of the desired distance, milestone numbers become the catalyst for the work required. Time and distance targets are popular among runners but what one strives for can fall into multiple mathematical patterns. The constant mental manipulation of these numbers occurs through the process of planning a training schedule, during the reflection and action of analyzing a completed workout, and also within segments of the run.

Completing a marathon in each state or running one hundred marathons over the course of a twenty or thirty-year span can provide one with the stamina to remain mentally focused over a decade or more. For me personally, as a younger runner, I made a goal to attempt to reach the fifty marathon milestone before I turned fifty, but injury and two hip surgeries left me searching for another meaningful way to signify this milestone birthday as a runner. I eventually decided a fifty-mile race would be a great way to celebrate such a significant birthday. These number goals allow for extra practice of math skills while also providing the mojo to get even the most dedicated runner out the door to run on a day when the desire is low. 

Making calculations as a runner requires much more than a calculator or a pad of paper and a pencil. One's mental math skills are sharpened on the run.  A constant breakdown of these numbers, including lap pace, total time, and average pace may become the ideal way to survive the physical discomfort that might come from a run. Some might count up with each mile while others may choose to count down the miles. The time spent manipulating the numbers while running can provide a much-needed distraction.

Technology with GPS and watches has in some ways simplified the planning of running while also making running more mathematically complex. Before smart watches, runners were required to plan out running routes to hit a desired distance but now knowing the route ahead of time is not always a requirement. Although pre-planning is not as common, calculated scheming is required more during the run as participants must decide what turns to make mid-run to arrive back at the starting point to reach the desired distance. There are many runners who live and die by the watch. It is common to see runners circling a parking lot or zigzagging back and forth at the end of a run until their watch reads an even mile. Technology with watches has created even more opportunities to crunch numbers if desired with heart rate, elevation, calories burned, and weather statistics downloaded onto running apps for each run.

Running obviously is a great way to exercise the body but it can provide just as much opportunity to flex the mind as well. Between philosophical reflection and mental math, while running, the brain is also being put through a workout. Making goals involving numbers is a way to keep running fresh with a byproduct of exercising the brain. Many refer to running as a war between the mind and body but in many instances, the physical and mental elements work in tandem for runners. Running is a physical act but the mental element cannot be denied.

Until next time, this has been just another runner's perspective

Loretta Tobolske-Horn Story

Just Another Runner’s Story                                                                                                   February 2025                                                                                                                            Written by Gale Fischer

Raise Your Ceiling

“The human body is capable of amazing physical deeds. If we could just free ourselves from our perceived limitations and tap into our internal fire, the possibilities are endless.”

—Dean Karnazes

We are all capable of so much more than we realize. In the physical realm, the human body's abilities can be stretched beyond perceived limits. Many examples of this involve what one can accomplish physically but often it really comes down to the brain and mental fortitude. There are plenty of cases of stretching the body's physical boundaries in the world of running and endurance athletes. This month’s featured runner, Loretta Tobolske-Horn, is one such illustration of how high an individual’s endurance ceiling can be raised.

Loretta’s running journey began as a child. “My first experience as an athlete came when I ran track as a student at Quincy Middle School,” Loretta explains. “I continued with track in high school and started running cross country when my school added a girl’s team my sophomore year. I played volleyball briefly in high school but injured my knee. After this experience, I decided to focus on running.” 

Loretta’s track coaches, Coach Parzych and Coach Chard were influential in her success as a high school athlete. She reflects on her experience as a varsity runner. “When our school added a girl’s cross-country team, Coach Parzych became the coach. He recruited me to come out and run cross-country. I made a huge jump in my race times going into my senior year. During the winter of my junior year, Coach Parzych would run with me. Coach Parzych’s commitment to running with Loretta helped to keep her in training mode during the off-season, while also providing opportunities for mentorship and guidance on how to improve as a runner. “I qualified and ran in the state cross-country meet my senior year. I was seeded high going into this race but slipped on a patch of mud on the course and didn’t do so well. My high school PR for the three-mile run is twenty-one minutes. In 1989, my senior year, I qualified for the state track meet in the two-mile. I finished in the top ten at the state meet.” Loretta was recruited to continue running after high school at Hillsdale College but decided that it was time for a break from her sport.

After graduating from Quincy High School in 1989, Loretta enrolled at Western Michigan University (WMU) to pursue a teaching degree in special education. She finished up at WMU in the spring of 1995 and started teaching the next school year. Coach Parzych’s wife, Ann, worked for Hillsdale County Intermediate School District and helped Loretta get her first teaching job with Hillsdale County Intermediate School District, teaching at Greenfield School in a self-contained special education preschool room. She moved to Branch Area Career Center two years later to teach special needs preschool children in an inclusionary setting. 

During her time in college, and through her early years as a teacher Loretta would continue running some on her own. She and her husband Derek were married while Loretta was still attending WMU in 1991. Derek and Loretta’s firstborn, Riley was born in 1996 with Maddelynn’s birth three years later in 1999. Running was not as big of a part of her life as it had been in high school and like it is now but this would change. Her children would help to bring running to the forefront and working as a public school teacher and administrator would provide opportunities for Loretta to mentor young runners.

Loretta reflects on how running became an integral part of her life again. “When my son, Riley, was in fifth grade, I started running more. He loved running longer distances.” Riley’s interest in running helped Loretta to realize that she missed a consistent, structured running routine. “We would run local 5K races and kid-friendly fun runs. Maddelynn would tag along as well. When Riley was in sixth grade I started a running club for friends of Riley and friends of Maddelynn. We called it 2FastU. The club started small but it grew.”

Organizing and implementing 2Fast4U was the start of something different for Loretta as a runner, with the opportunity it gave her to mentor young runners. Coaching would also enhance her own running. “Riley started running cross-country in sixth grade. At this time I became certified in CrossFit, CrossFit Kids, and CrossFit Endurance and we added strength training which we named Q-Town Boot Camp. A community member let us use his barn for CrossFit workouts. I worked with a variety of high school athletes, not just runners, as a trainer from 2007 when Riley was in seventh grade until 2017 when Maddelynn graduated from high school.” Being a CrossFit instructor helped Loretta to become stronger and more fit which contributed to the success that she would begin to experience as an endurance athlete. It would also help her develop a passion for coaching and in giving her time to the running community.

Loretta loved sharing her passion for running with her children. She talks about how this went beyond just running with them. “I started coaching as a volunteer for Riley’s Middle School track team in 2008, Riley’s seventh-grade year working with the distance runners. The next year I began coaching his cross-country team. I coached for three years until Riley and Maddelynn were in high school. It was just too much coaching for the Middle School and also trying to watch Riley and Maddelynn run for their High School teams.” During the off-season, Loretta coached both children to run for the National Junior Olympics. 

As a running coach and a CrossFit instructor, Loretta was also working out with her athletes. She was becoming stronger, raising her fitness level, and building her endurance. She was feeling great as a runner. Her stamina and speed were improving, so she decided to try a marathon. “I signed up for the Wild-Life Marathon on the Falling Waters Bike trail in the Concord, Michigan Area. I decided six weeks out that I was going to run the marathon. I was not prepared. I had managed a twenty-mile training run. I didn’t know much about fueling or hydration.” Despite her lack of preparation, Loretta had a great experience for her first marathon. Her strength and conditioning seemed to balance out her lack of experience at the marathon distance. “I managed to finish in three hours and twenty-six minutes, good enough for a first-place finish among females forty years and older. The last five miles were a struggle. After finishing, something inside of me changed. I was grateful to complete a marathon but a part of me wanted to know how much further I could run.”

Loretta was about to embark on a journey to test her endurance limits. Her intrigue in longing to see how far and for how long she could run after crossing the finish line for her first marathon planted a seed, but other circumstances also fed into this. “Riley enrolled at the University of Michigan (U of M) in 2014 and joined the running club there. It created friendships and turned him into a long-time runner. Maddelynn was nearing the end of her high school years and would follow Riley to U of M a few years later in 2017. Like Riley, she also joined the running club which fueled her desire to make running an important part of her life.” The passion that Riley and Maddelynn seemed to be developing for running helped to feed into the interest that Loretta was developing for her sport. Empty nest syndrome was nearing and setting new goals as a runner became a way for Loretta to adjust to this transition.

There were other factors that turned the tide for Loretta from marathon runner to ultra-marathon maniac. “I had read the book Ultra Marathon Man by Dean Karnazes, which piqued my interest. Not long after reading Dean’s book In 2016, my friend Teddy Foote was turning forty. He decided he wanted to run forty miles on his birthday so I decided to run it with him. It went really well for me. During our training for the forty miler, Teddy and I met Charles Steele, an ultra runner from Hillsdale, Michigan. We were at the clubhouse at Hillsdale College getting ready to run and we saw Charles as he was finishing his run. We talked to him.”  Although Loretta had just met Charles and their conversation was brief it seemed that they made a connection. They exchanged phone numbers and remained in contact. Charles would become an invaluable mentor for Loretta as an ultra runner. 

Loretta had invested a great deal of time coaching and mentoring other runners. She would continue to do this but with Charles, the tables had turned somewhat and now she was the mentee.  He convinced her to sign up for your first official ultra event. “Charles kept talking to me about competing in the Bad Apple Ultra in Greenville, Michigan. It consisted of a four-mile loop. The goal was to see how many miles you could run in twelve hours. I finally signed up and participated in this event in 2017.”

Loretta was confident in herself going into the Bad Apple Ultra but also a bit nervous. She sought guidance from Charles. “Charles’s advice was to hit fifty miles feeling fresh. The course record for females was sixty-four miles. I wanted to break this record. Charles’ advice became my strategy. I planned to stop every four miles for a break but it was cold and I eventually decided to not take extended breaks, in an attempt to stay warm.” The cold weather wasn’t the only thing that put a crimp into Loretta’s race plan. “I developed a blister on one of my toes early on. I didn’t know how to fuel and hydrate properly but my friend Bruce Brown was there to advise me on what to do about this. I finished as the first among females with sixty-eight miles and setting the female course record. I felt awesome, and better than expected. My next goal became to run one hundred miles.”

Loretta’s success at the Bad Apple Ultra and the confidence she gained set into motion her running chapter as a competitive ultra runner. Triple digits became her next goal. “The following year in 2018, I ran the Hennepin One-Hundred Miler. I did some more research about how to train properly and how to use nutrition and hydration. Riley, Teddy, and another friend, Jenny, came to pace me. I saw Ann Trayson, a well-known ultra runner who was the guest speaker the day before, at mile twenty. Being able to exchange words with her gave me a mental boost. I wanted to feel fresh at fifty. Things were going well until mile seventy.” As is common for many who take on an ultra marathon, Loretta hit a rough patch but rebounded. “I noticed a pain in my knee and tried pushing through it. My knee was really hurting. I had stopped at mile eighty for a bathroom break and my urine was dark. I thought that I would just walk in the last twenty miles. I was in first place and the second female passed me while I was in the bathroom.” Loretta was content to just coast in but her support system wouldn’t let that happen. “Teddy and my husband talked me into keep running to try and catch the first female. I caught her at mile ninety-seven. We competed the last three miles. I ended up finishing second in nineteen hours and thirty-four minutes.” Loretta was a bit beat up but felt good about her first one-hundred-mile finish. After the race, she was diagnosed with a torn sartorius muscle, which was the culprit of her knee pain. It healed after three or four weeks of rest. She attempted another race six weeks later, the Tunnel Hill Hundred Miler but had to stop thirty miles in. 

In the last eight years, Loretta has completed six, one-hundred-mile races as well as six, twenty-four-hour challenges. She has proven her level of endurance with four first-place finishes. She recently completed a multi-day event, something she had first thought about a few years ago. Loretta talks about her most recent adventure. “During COVID I started thinking about running across Michigan using the Great Lake-to-Lake Trail, a route that consists primarily of trails, with some sections traversing roads. I had a big map printed out so that I could begin my research.” Knocking this off her bucket list would require a great deal of planning, focus, and motivation. It seemed that other events that she wanted to participate in would come up, pushing to the side the run across Michigan. Loretta reflects on the various circumstances that came together to eventually make this a reality. “I finally decided to tackle this goal in 2024. Riley was getting ready to run the San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon. I planned a trip out west, making a stop in Boulder for a few days to run the Bolder Boulder 10K with Maddelynn. I then went on to San Diego to run the Marathon with Riley. These two experiences running with both of my children are something that I will always cherish. It brought a different kind of fun to my running, making it seem like now was the time to get ready for the run across Michigan.”

Loretta and her crew were able to accomplish her trek across Michigan earlier this fall. She reflects on this experience. “For the run across the state, I wanted to eclipse the Fastest Known Time (FKT) for crossing the Great Lake-to-Lake Trail on foot which starts on the west side of the state in South Haven and ends in St. Clair Shores on the east side. The FKT before Loretta’s journey was five days and seven hours for men and the women’s time was six days and seven hours for women.” Loretta began her cross-state run on November eighth, finishing on November eleventh, with a total time of three days, and fifteen hours, and a total distance of two-hundred and nineteen miles. Her total time consisted of running through most of each day with a three-hour nap each night in a camper van. She crushed the FKT for both men and women but admits she couldn’t have done it without some help. “My husband supported me the entire way, my friend, Kim helped crew and transport my pacers and at least fifteen individuals ran segments with me. I ran only five hours of it solo. The experience was incredible”.

It seemed that Loretta’s coaching days were behind her but as she became more involved in the ultra marathon community she was given another opportunity to coach. “In 2020 I met Michelle Hartwig, the owner of Ornery Mule Racing,” Loretta explains. “She asked me to join her team as a coach. I was still working full time so I started doing this on the side. I was certified to coach through the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) and United Endurance Sports Coaching Academy (UESCA).” Coaching others who are as crazy as she seems to suit Loretta. “I have developed a passion for coaching. I decided to retire from education in 2021, partly because of running and coaching.  I wanted to coach more and focus on my running. Currently, I have thirty athletes. I coach about ten to fifteen hours a week. I have also started a monthly book club with Ornery Mule Racing and host a coaching podcast.”

Like many who enter the running community, coaching and mentoring become a way to give back while also providing internal rewards to enhance their personal running stories. Loretta reflects on why she coaches. “I love helping people. Because of this coaching is quite rewarding to me. I enjoy working with the challenges of helping individuals who are at different chapters of their running journeys with different goals. I am available to my athletes 24/7.” 

As is a common theme in the running community for so many, running has been a positive presence for Loretta. She talks about how it has transformed her. “As a runner, I like to inspire others. Running has changed my life. I have met so many people locally and across the country through running. Running gives me time to decompress and run alone but also gives me time to hang out with others who are like-minded.” Running and coaching other runners has taught Loretta many lessons about how to live her life. “I would encourage others to do their best every day whatever that would be. Dream big. If there is something that you want to do, don’t let fear get in the way. Stay in the mile you're in.”

It seemed that Loretta was destined to just run limited miles as an adult after success as a high school runner. Both her children found a passion for running which would catapult Loretta into a journey as an endurance athlete. Other circumstances would fuel this passion. Her story shows us that we are capable physically of much more than we realize. Fear is a natural human feeling but can sometimes stand in the way of one pushing their limits. Ultimately what endurance athletes can accomplish, comes down to the mind and confidence. If there is a balance between fear and confidence then the possibilities are endless. If you are a non-active person wanting to run a 5K race, don’t let fear of failure keep you on the couch. If you are a casual runner wanting to try a marathon go for it. If you want to up the ante and run an ultra, know that you can do it. With a good plan in place, hard work, and sometimes a willingness to push through pain and discomfort so much is possible. Don’t limit yourself. Raise your ceiling.

Everyone has a story.  Stay tuned next month for another runner’s story.

Ryan Renner Story

Harper’s Unsung Heroes February 2025 Written by Gale Fischer  

Life Lessons

“All genuine learning comes from experience.”

—-John Dewey

Reading, writing, math, social studies, and science are the core subjects that make up the kindergarten through high school curriculum. The arts are also an important component of our public education system that immerses our youth in experiences as we mold them into well-rounded human beings. These areas are what we as educators are responsible for teaching but many layers encompass the lessons that students are exposed to in school. Basic life skills and values are not necessarily a part of the curriculum but as educators, our words, actions, and overall demeanor have an influence on what students learn. Modeling traits such as hard work, patience, focus, and flexibility can pay dividends. Hopefully, these patterns of behavior rub off on our students and influence them as adults in their relationships, careers, and pursuit of financial stability. These traits and skills are all things that this month's Harper Unsung Hero, Ryan Renner was exposed to as a child, and they have influenced how he has interacted with students as a teacher and coach for Harper Creek.

Ryan grew up in Howard City, Michigan. “I was born in Grand Rapids in 1978 and raised in Howard City,” Ryan recalls. “I have one brother, Corey, who is five years older than me. He has worked for the past thirty years for Tri-County High School in the Howard City area, teaching science and wood shop.” Ryan’s father Nick served in the military early as an adult before retiring from the Army and moving on to various jobs. “Dad is enjoying retirement now but worked many jobs to support us while we were growing up. He was a mailman for twenty-five years. He also spent some time as a barber when I was little. There were a few years when he delivered mail during the day and cut hair at night.” Ryan’s mother, Gloria, also taught Ryan and Corey the importance of a healthy work ethic. “Mom worked payroll for Howard City Schools, where Corey and I attended kindergarten through high school graduation. I often went to my mom’s office after school. I remember licking stamps to help her. She is now retired.” Although Ryan’s father is retired he still coaches wrestling for Tri-County High School, which consists of a few smaller school districts, including Howard City, that have consolidated as one district. The wrestling program at Tri-County has kept the Renner family busy over the years. Both Ryan and Corey competed on the wrestling team during their high school years. Corey now coaches the team with Nick and in the days of VHS, Gloria recorded the matches.

Many of Ryan’s childhood memories involve time spent with family, friends, neighbors, teachers, and classmates. He reflects on the culture of growing up in a small-town farming community. “My grandparents always had a huge garden and a farm stand.” Helping to sell fruits and vegetables provided one of Ryan’s first opportunities to earn money. It helped instill in him a healthy work ethic and reinforced the satisfaction of working. Ryan still enjoys gardening today. Helping out with the farm stand was just one example of how Ryan learned the importance of working. “I worked for a neighborhood farmer, Mr. Hackbardt, many summers helping out with various chores,” Ryan explains. “I would ride my bike to his farm in the morning, help with farming tasks, and then ride back home. I started doing this when I was in middle school and continued through high school.” Farming wasn’t the only source of income for Mr. Hackbardt. “He also worked as a custodian at our school,” Ryan recalls. “ He was a great role model, showing me the value of always working hard. Mr. Hackbardt was always positive, often cracked jokes, and every day seemed to have a smile on his face. He was one of the adults at school that made each day fun.” 

Ryan’s parents, grandparents, Mr. Hackbardt, and other adults in his life showed him that labor was important. He was paid for some of the work that he did but other tasks required of him and Corey growing up didn’t come with a paycheck. “Mom and Dad always had a chore list for us,” Ryan explains. “We didn’t necessarily get an allowance but would get things such as candy or baseball cards. It seemed like we were always working as kids. I also remember having a job shoveling snow at the post office before the carriers started their routes early in the morning. My set fee was eighty dollars a month.”

Working outside for his grandparents and Mr. Hackbardt wasn’t the only opportunity Ryan had to spend time outside and be active as a child. “Dad, Corey, and I did a lot of hunting,” Ryan explains. “We lived out in the country and enjoyed playing and exploring in the woods. There were neighbor kids we played with. Corey and I were also always involved in sports. Both of us played baseball and wrestled. Corey played football in the fall while I chose and I started running cross country in eighth grade to stay in shape. Although I was never a star on our team, I was always a varsity runner. Just holding a spot on our varsity team was enough for me, so I never worked hard to improve, something I regret today. Eventually, I joined the track team and I was able to duel-sport with baseball and track. I was a pitcher on the baseball team which allowed me to participate in some of our track meets because I didn’t play in every baseball game.”

The work ethic that Ryan learned while helping with the garden and other chores was something that was also instilled in him as a student. Ryan reflects on this. “My parents had a rule that we needed to be on the honor roll to participate in sports. I enjoyed participating in sports so this was a perfect incentive to make sure I was doing what needed to be done as a student.” The rule that Ryan’s parents set up may have helped him to toe the line in the classroom but it wasn’t as if Ryan despised school. “Overall I enjoyed school. I always had an interest in social studies. I felt that my seventh-grade social studies teacher, Mrs. Crosby had a pretty good job. I enjoyed the content in both social studies and history. My favorite teacher, Mr. Yurick, taught High School US History and Social Studies. He would lecture but he was also entertaining. His personality was great and he was a fun guy. I still keep in touch with Mr. Yurick today” Ryan’s interest in the areas of US History and Social Studies along with his teachers making learning fun helped to set in motion his career path. “Around the time that I was in middle school, I thought that someday I might want to be a history teacher. My brother was also going to college to be a teacher. A neighbor of ours was a teacher. All of these things sparked my interest in education as a career choice.”

Ryan and Corey spent time together growing up but they didn’t seem to always be on the same page. “It was the classic sibling relationship,” Ryan describes. “I viewed him as the mean older brother and he thought of me as the annoying little sibling. When Corey graduated from high school he went to Lake Superior State for one year on a wrestling scholarship but came back and lived at home to commute to Ferris State.” Being away at college seemed to help strengthen the relationship that he and Ryan had. It helped them to appreciate each other. “My uncle owned a party store and I started working there with Corey after he returned home from Lake Superior State. It was a positive experience to be able to spend time together.” 

Ryan knew early as a teenager that he would continue his education after high school. “Upon graduating in 1996, I was ready for college. I had applied to Western Michigan (WMU) and Grand Valley State and was accepted to both schools. I decided to go to WMU mainly because I had friends going there. At the time WMU was also a top education school and this is what I wanted for a career. When I enrolled at WMU I was wavering between being a science teacher or a history/social studies teacher.” Nick and Gloria had taught their children life skills as they were growing up that would help them as adults. Ryan would use these childhood lessons in his first experience living away from home while at WMU. Ryan discusses the plans he laid out when signing up for classes and making arrangements to earn a paycheck. “I set my class schedule for my senior year so that I could be free to substitute teach. I substitute taught during the fall and got a three-week sub position during the spring semester in a third-grade classroom. I didn’t have money for school so I was always working and planning how to make money.” 

Ryan not only worked as a student to earn money, he was able to figure out a way to help cover some of his rent and meals during his time at WMU. “The summer between my sophomore and junior year I was assistant hall director for my dorm which paid for room and board. I continued this until I moved into an apartment my senior year. Some of my duties included working the front desk and being in charge of security. I attended summer school every year except the summer between my freshman and sophomore year. Much of my scheduling for classes and working was planned out as a result of my financial need. My parents did a good job of teaching me how to budget money and the difference between wants and needs.” The values that Ryan’s parents taught him and his attention to detail when planning ahead paid off for Ryan. His total student debt when graduating was only $2500.

Ryan earned a degree from WMU in 2000, certifying him to teach secondary, history, and social studies. He goes into detail about what would come next. “I had a couple of job interviews right after graduation. One interview was at Big Rapids, and two were at Constantine. I also interviewed at Plainwell High School. I remember being super nervous prior to this one and even threw up before.” At the time there were many more teachers than there were available jobs. Ryan preferred to find a job in the vicinity of Kalamazoo or near Howard City. There were other options available to him if he was unable to secure a teaching job. “I was also still working for the Residence Halls at WMU. The University offered me a gad assistantship to continue doing this. I had a few opportunities to go teach in Arizona and New Mexico and almost took one of these jobs but the pay didn’t compare to Michigan and I didn’t want to go that far from home so I continued to work for WMU in the fall of 2000.”

Working for the college after graduation wasn’t what Ryan wanted for the future but it was a job. He continued to send out applications to school districts in the area. Heading into January of 2021 without a teaching job, Ryan did something totally unexpected. He talks about working overseas. “I took a job teaching in Japan in the spring semester of 2001. I was teaching English to Japanese students at a corporate school. These students ranged in age from young kids to adults who wanted to learn English. It was a good experience. I enjoyed learning about a different culture. I guess I went into it thinking it might be temporary for a few years but always knew that I would come back right away if a teaching job came up in Michigan.”

Heading into the fall of 2021, Ryan finally had some teaching offers. Tri-County High School, Ryan’s alma mater, offered him a job teaching government and coaching baseball but this was only a half-time position. Ultimately Ryan would find his way to Harper Creek in an unexpected way. “I interviewed in Athens for a job. The candidate they hired for this position was working at Harper Creek at the time,” Ryan clarifies. “The principal that I interviewed with at Athens was impressed with my interview so he called Mike Ott at Harper Creek Middle School recommending me for the job that the teacher they had hired vacated. I had never heard of Harper Creek and was surprised when I went there for the interview. I hadn’t envisioned it being such a rural area. I started at Harper in the fall of 2001 teaching eighth grade US History.”

Ryan wasn’t familiar with Battle Creek and didn’t know anyone from the area. He immediately signed in as a coach to keep himself busy and ease the transition. He reflects on this. “I wanted to get involved with mentoring and teaching kids beyond the school day so in my first year I decided to start a middle school cross-country club, and I also coached middle school wrestling, track, and swimming. The next year, I started coaching varsity cross-country, and continued coaching wrestling, swimming, and track at the Middle School. I hadn’t planned on coaching so many sports, but found that I enjoyed this experience.”

Six years into his teaching career, Ryan transitioned schools within Harper Creek. He explains this change. “In 2007 I started teaching US History and Government Civics in the High School. A few years later AP Government was added to my teaching schedule.” Ryan continued teaching in the History and Social Studies department before shiting to something completely different just a few years ago. “I moved into the Woodshop in 2021. I remember taking wood and metal shop in high school. I have had lots of experience in this area so when this job came open I knew that this was what I wanted to do.” Ryan talks about some of the skills he has honed that have made teaching in the wood shop a natural fit. “I have always been handy with putting in floors, roofing, and building furniture. As an adult woodworking was always a hobby and about ten years ago I began selling some of my work. I also own twenty-five rental houses with Matt Ellenwood and Mike Eyre. We do all of the repairs and renovations.”

As Ryan shifted his role as a teacher from the Middle School to the High School, he also gave up some of his coaching duties for the younger students while becoming more involved in this role at the High School. He started as an assistant girl’s track coach before stepping in as the head girl’s track coach. His girls were very competitive on the track for his three years as head coach. A year after stepping down as the girl’s track in 2019 coach Ryan also felt it was time to give up some of his duties. “I enjoyed coaching but felt like I needed more time with my son, Cohen,” Ryan reflects, “so I stepped down from coaching. Cohen and I enjoy deer hunting, turkey hunting, and bear hunting. Now that I have more time on my hands, I can watch Cohen wrestle. He is a freshman and will also be joining the Clay Target team in the spring. Cohen loves fishing and this is something I also enjoy doing with him.”

Ryan’s wife Alissa has taught at Harper Creek Middle School since 2004. She and Ryan began dating a few months after she started at Harper Creek and were married in 2006. They were blessed with the birth of Cohen in March of 2010. Ryan talks about the initial interactions that he and Alissa had. “I first met Alissa at her job interview. I was on the interview committee because the job she had applied for was a part of my teaching team. We always joke that she was interviewing for the science job and also interviewing to be Mr. Renner’s future wife.”

As a teacher and a coach Ryan has been able to pass on many of the life skills he utilized and was taught growing up, including hard work and patience. He has enjoyed passing on what he has learned, in the classroom and on the athletic stage. He reflects on what teaching has meant to him. “Teaching has provided an opportunity for me to carry on knowledge and talk about things that I am passionate about. My hope has always been to be like some of the teachers that I have had and to make school fun and interesting for my students.”

Ryan has also left an impact on our students as a coach. He reflects on some of these experiences. “I have regrets as a high school athlete about not always working and not always giving my best effort. As a coach, I have encouraged my athletes to do their best.”   Through the years the teams that Ryan has coached have competed at a high level. “My first championship as a coach was in 2008. Our girl’s cross-country team, behind the leadership of Amanda Weidner, Kara Kiessling, and Aubree Cable, had been in fourth place in our conference all year. Going into regionals we knew we had a chance to qualify for states if everyone ran their best. We ended up winning the regional meet and going to state as a team. This was a great memory. Our boy's cross-country team won regionals in 2016 with Devon Funk, Drew VanWagner, and Tommy Show leading the way. My high school coach was there and came up to congratulate me. The boys also won regionals in 2019 with a group of sophomores led by Own Gilbert, Blake Bess, and Josh Mauer.” During Ryan’s tenure cross-country not only experienced success with conference and regional championships but the sport also grew in terms of numbers. For many seasons he fielded a team of between forty and fifty runners combined for boys and girls. In 2015 an assistant was added to the coaching staff. The biggest year in terms of the number of runners was 2017 with sixty total.

The girl’s track team also enjoyed a great amount of success during Ryan’s tenure as head coach. He talks about some of the highlights. “We won regionals all three years that I was a head varsity track coach. In 2016 going into our last leg of the four by eight hundred meter relay we were in fifth place. Charley Andrews, our anchor runner,  passed all of the runners ahead of her and we won the race. This was exciting and gave us hope for winning the meet. She then broke her foot on the high jump.” With the team’s most valuable member now injured and unable to complete it would have been easy for everyone to give up on a regional championship but the team showed true character. “Kids stepped up and unexpectedly scored points to help us claim the regional championship. When it was announced that we won the regionals it created a memory that I will never forget.”

Ryan has molded his years at Harper Creek around the many lessons learned from the adults in his world when he was growing up. These lessons center around his words of advice. “You can’t cheat reality. Shortcuts don’t work. You have to work hard, do your best, be honest, and also have fun.”

At the end of the day, we are all a product of the experiences we have had throughout our lives, what we have learned from these experiences, and how we have adapted our lives from these lessons. Ryan has drawn on his knowledge of history, social studies, and woodworking as a teacher for Harper Creek and on what he knows about athletics as a coach. Learning about life skills through hands-on opportunities as a child has helped to enhance what he has brought to his job.