Rod Kausen Retires

By Rickiyah McGrady

    This year the senior class of 17’ from Fortuna Union High will be graduation along with a beloved teacher. Rod Kausen will move on to the next chapter of his life along with all of us seniors. He has been teaching for 34 years and coaching track and field for 35 years. He seems to be a favorite at Fortuna High with his humor and almost always has a classroom of laughing students.

    Kausen is a great teacher and you’ll get that response from the majority of students you ask around campus. Although he loves his job and all of his students, he's looking forward to having less questions thrown at him and to do somethings a little less intense in life; for example, he's ready to sleep in everyday and be on his own schedule. When asked his plans for after retirement he responded with, “I am not someone who is going to sit around watch T.V. I have some business ideas I am working on and I have lots of skills where I can continue to stay busy supplementing retirement. I will also get back into physical shape, enjoy my hobbies, travel more, and like I said sleep in more.”

    He’s been teaching for so many years that it's hard for him to choose one specific memory as his favorite. Kausen laughs with his students everyday but hidden in those laughs he shares some special and touching moments between himself and a student. He loves lip sync memories and discussions in psychology but one of his proudest moments is when he was able to coach a student who he watched become a State Track and Field champion.

    Although Kausen will be moving on with his life, he still has some future hopes for Fortuna High. He would really like to see schools go back to when students wanted to learn. He feels as though there's many students who see no need to get good grades or gain more knowledge than they already have. He also wants students at Fortuna High to continue learning how to treat one another with respect. Kausen will continue volunteering as a track coach after his retirement and is hoping to see the team continue flourishing and succeeding at a high level.