Terry Lane retires from St. Joseph Elementary School

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Terry Lane

OGDEN — Terry Lane, assistant principal and literacy director at Saint Joseph Catholic Elementary School, is retiring after 24 years working for the Diocese of Salt Lake City.

Lane’s career in Catholic education started in 1998, when she and her family arrived in Utah. Her husband was in the Air Force, and she had run religious education and youth ministry at several different Air Force bases.

Once at Hill Air For Base, friends at the chapel there suggested that Lane apply for a position at St. Joseph Elementary. She did, and in the spring of 1998 was hired as a fourth-grade teacher.

After a couple of years teaching fourth grade, she moved to middle school. “It became my passion. I was also lucky enough to teach first grade for two years,” Lane said. “It has been the most beautiful thing to be able to do what you love for a career.”

Her years in the St. Joseph Catholic Schools system, which goes from elementary to high school, taught her many lessons.

“It has taught me how lucky we are to share a lifetime with other people – learning how to get through the bad times together and find peace,” Lane said. “Knowing that God put us here to help, enjoy and love other people has filled my heart through the years and brought me through hard times. It has been my honor to watch students and other faculty and staff and learn through them. To see them grow in their lives and teach their children as fate would have it.”

Humor is important, she added.

“A day should never pass that we don’t find humor and joy somehow. And in our time, we often better laugh, or we will cry,” she said.

One memory she treasures is the school’s Saint Nicholas Night.

“The PreK–third-graders come, and we invite adults of all ages to read Advent and Christmas stories to them,” Lane said.

For the event, the school opens its doors to grandparents, priests and public officials.

“The mayor came one year. Teachers come and read. We do an Advent wreath with them to take home,” Lane said.

At the end of the event people share a snack and “thank God for this gift of community. It is a beautiful night for families and full of joy,” she said.

Another school tradition that Lane said she will always remember dearly is the School Families, which are comprised of students from eighth grade down to pre-school.

“The group’s oldest members guide the younger ones in prayer, activity and a service project,” Lane said.

For example, the School Families frequently plant bulbs around the school, “and in the spring, we all watch them bloom and take pleasure that we have brightened our school grounds,” Lane said. “This is the kind of service in which our students excel and continue to practice throughout the year. My favorite part is watching the love shared between the families.”

Lane will be missed, said Nancy Essary, the school’s principal.

“One of the biggest things with her is laughter; she brings laughter to every hall and the kids love it,” Essary said, adding that “Her love of reading and literature and helping students has been just phenomenal.”

One of Essary’s grandchildren was a student of Lane’s, and Lane was “such a great asset for him,” Essary said.

Lane’s commitment to Catholic education is also something the school has treasured, said Essary, who recalls the first day that she met Lane.

“I will always remember how welcoming she was. … When I needed advice, she has always kept me grounded and making sure I make right decisions. She has always been there for me; she has given such a tremendous support,” Essary said. “We are really going to miss her laughter. She will always be part of the St. Joseph family.”