Some 50 fourth-district members of the Iowa Retired School Personnel Association (IRSPA) gathered at the Hotel Pattee in Perry Tuesday for the annual district meeting, which featured an Hawaiian theme.
Perry Mayor John Andorf welcomed the IRSPA group to Perry and to the historic Hotel Pattee, the history of which he briefly outlined before Karen Einck of Perry, a member of the Dallas County Area Retired School Personnel Association, led the membership in the Pledge of Allegiance.
The day’s full agenda of business began with IRSPA President Jean Hoffman’s introduction of state officers and state committee chairs present, some attending from as far away as Council Bluffs and Sioux City.
Additional officer reports were followed by focus groups and summaries. Laura McCord of Perry, a former elementary school teacher in the Perry schools, provided musical entertainment on the hammered dulcimer at several points in the program.
A highlight of the morning session was a special presentation by Dirk and Carol Cavanaugh of Perry, entitled “Global Education: Kazakhstan.” The Cavanaughs lived in Kazakhstan for a number of years, where Carol taught English in an orphanage, and they have hosted high school exchange students from Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan in their Perry home.
Three IRSPA state officers — Jean Hoffman, Jeanne Handeland and Mary Jo O’Connell — delivered a team presentation on the six pillars of brain health.
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- Stay socially engaged.
- Engage your brain.
- Manage stress.
- Exercise.
- Restore sleep.
- Eat Right.
In the discussion following the presentation, the attendees shared ways that they try to meet the objectives of the brain-health pillars.
The afternoon session included information on the Parents in Heaven (PH) Scholarship offered by IRSPA as well as updates on state action around the Iowa Public Employees Retirement System (IPERS) the through Association Member Benefits Advisors (AMBA).
IRSPA has been standing up for retired school personnel since 1947. As an affiliate of the National Retired Teacher Association. IRSPA is the only organization working primarily to protect and improve the financial benefits of Iowa’s retired school personnel.
