The Burton Elementary community lost a very important person last week. Beth Krehbiel, my former principal and friend, fought hard against the cancer that finally took her life. Beth came back to Burton as the principal in 2008, a year after I started there. Earlier in her career she had also taught fifth grade at Burton.

She loved Burton and the Huntington Woods community. She always talked so fondly about her years in fifth grade. She told me so many of her favorite memories of those classes and could name just about every one of her students. It was amazing! That was Beth. She loved kids. 

I came from a different school district where my principal was just not a kind or respectful person but ruled with fear — even toward the staff. When I first started working for Beth, I was so uncomfortable when she came into my classroom or asked to talk to me. I braced for the worst. But Beth was so patient with me. She showed me so much kindness and was the mentor that I needed right when I needed it most. I owe her gentle guidance, her support, and her caring for making me the teacher that I am today. I learned that I could confide in her — whatever I was feeling or thinking and she would listen, judgement free. What a true gift! 

I have been in the same position at Burton — in fifth grade — for 18 years now. I owe that all to Beth.

To say that Beth was dedicated to her job, her school, the district, and her students is an understatement. She lived and breathed it. It would be hard to list my favorite memories of Beth, there are just too many. Her smile would light up the room and her love of beautiful, colorful outfits meant she always looked so sharp and put together — right down to the track suits she would wear on Fun Run day. Halloween was her most favorite day of the year and she would always have the best, most creative costumes in the building. Halloween is still the biggest day of the year at Burton and it is all because of her. 

Trying to express my gratitude for this incredibly important person feels impossible. I owe so much to her. During my time at Burton, I got married and had my two children. (She was incredibly proud of how many of her staff had children while working for her. I think the total was into the 30s at the time of her retirement.) 

And I received my own cancer diagnosis while working for her. With two small children at the time, life became very difficult, very quickly. Beth had my back every step of the way. She demanded that I put myself first and took care of what needed to be done for my students that year. When someone shows up for you like that, there just are no words strong enough to express what it truly means. Beth Krehbiel was amazing. She will be desperately missed. She was so loved by so many and her legacy lives on in all of us, whose lives she made so much better by being part of it.