Mrs. Hoertz Retiring After 35 Years of Service to Honeoye: 'I Was Rewarded So Much'

Peter Cetera, Richard Marx and Duran Duran were at the top of the music charts, “Rainman” was the best movie, “Seinfield” and “The Simpsons” made their television debuts and the minimum wage was $3.35. 

It was 1989, and it’s also the year Kathy Hoertz took her seat at Honeoye Central School District. 

But on Friday, Mrs. Hoertz will take her seat for a final time. After 35 years in various secretarial positions in Honeoye, Mrs. Hoertz is answering the call of retirement. She’s not quite sure what she’ll do just yet with her newfound spare time, but she knows exactly what to do with the time that will soon be behind her.

“It was a wonderful place to work,” she said. “A lot of people told me I was the first smiling face they’d see when they came to the school.”

Having an impact like that is why she cherished each day at school and as you might imagine, plenty has changed since she took the job at Honeoye after starting a career at Kodak. And while she worked in the High School and the District Office before coming to the Elementary School, it’s the people who are the one constant.

“It’s been a joy to work with parents and former graduates,” she said. “We had kindergarten orientation (two weeks ago) and a lot of former graduates came back with their kids and I got all emotional. Once a Bulldog, always a Bulldog.”

Speaking of former graduates, there were two who heard the word around town that Mrs. Hoertz was retiring and they found their way to the school over the summer for a visit. 

“Those boys would give me a hard time when they came to the office,” she said of the former students who were frequent visitors to the principal’s office. “But when they heard I was leaving, they came back and apologized. That really meant a lot.”

So you’ll forgive Mrs. Hoertz for the emotions that surface when discussing her time at Honeoye that’s coming to an end. The bonds that form with students in school are very real and when that bond adds another layer years after some students graduate, it’s difficult to not be human. 

And that’s why the human factor became especially poignant in 1999 after the Columbine Massacre in Colorado. 

“It really changed everything,” she said of being the person who typically lets people into the school building. “I really took it seriously and I know this community. There are a lot of good people here and I knew they would never do anything like that but was on my mind. (Opening that door for visitors) is a big responsibility for me. I didn’t want anyone to hurt my kids.”

That’s why Mrs. Hoertz put new emphasis on a message she’d always been imparting to students. She always wanted them to know that she wasn’t just there in person, she was available.

“Even though I was a secretary, I greeted the kids every morning and they shared things with me,” she said. “Kids say the funniest things and I really felt like I was making difference. I wanted them to know that kindness matters and words matter.”

Maybe that’s why her office was filled with cards wishing her the best in retirement and why the Board of Education brought flowers. Maybe that’s why some students came back to apologize for behavior from years prior. And maybe that’s why her copy of last year’s Elementary School yearbook was signed by every student in the Elementary School.

Anyone can smile, but it takes genuine passion and love to make that smile mean something. And clearly, it did for Mrs. Hoertz.

“I loved coming to school every day. I never had a thought like ‘oh, here we go again’ because it meant a lot to me,” she said. “Every day was different and I was rewarded so much.”

Mrs. Hoertz hasn’t made many plans for retirement outside of spending more time with her husband and mother, who lives with her. But a trip to Alaska is on the mind. 

Either way, there are plenty in Honeoye who will not hesitate to say Mrs. Hoertz’s retirement is well-deserved.

“It’s nice to know I was appreciated,” she said.