Linda Rakestraw
Linda Rakestraw has been employed with the Annawan School District for 25 years. She spent 12 years as a teacher, and 13 as an administrator. She states that working for this small district, she has had to wear many hats. She has had to deal with the
problems that follow cooperative athletic teams and programs. She found that, in small communities, this co-op programming is difficult for people to accept. To surmount this obstacle, she found that it was helpful to review previous cooperative agreements. She also found that involving all stakeholders, especially the students, in the decision making process removed several hurdles. “Planning ahead, and communicating effectively with everyone involved has also helped make the move more successful.”
Rakestraw states that she has been incredibly fortunate to work in a small district, with a tradition of academic success and high expectations. She believes that her staff are outstanding, dedicated and caring, a staff that would be able to teach effectively anywhere. The students in the school are hard-working, good kids, with parents and community members that are strong supporters of the district. She states that, “working here has been a privilege and rewarding in many ways!”