Thursday, April 25, 2024

Another Fond Farewell

I was honored with another tribute at the end of my high school career, this one for The Villager, where I've written a weekly column for three years.

Villager columnist Mike [Michael] Mazenko is moving on. “The time just seems right,” he told us.

Julie and Mike Mazenko came to Colorado in 2003 for an opportunity to teach at a high school he was told would be a great fit. Former Cherry Creek High School Principal Kathleen Smith agreed. That began a 21-year career that included shaping the academic future of over 2,000 young people, including several whose last name is Miklin, as a teacher and administrator in a school he wrote about in his last regular column for The Villager that appeared on page three on March 28. He called it, “The Creek Mystique.” It included some great success stories of Creek alumni.

In addition to the attraction of teaching in a high school where kids were eager to learn and had families who supported that goal, the Mazenkos fell in love with Greenwood Village as a place to raise a family. Now that Austin and Chloe, Julie and Mike’s offspring, are attending college in New York and Washington DC, that mission has been accomplished. Chloe is still in her undergraduate years at American University and Austin will be pursuing a Ph.D. in math at New York University. Neither is likely to be back in Colorado soon. Like all parents, the Mazenkos want to be near their children.

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1 comment:

Mike Thiac said...

You and I have had our disagreements over the years, often on Right on the Left Coast. You were a great person to debate with. I understand wanting to be near the kids, but man, leaving Colorado for the East Coast! :)

That being said, I wish you and your family the best in your new hood. Take care