After nearly 20 years employed by OA Schools, Bonnie will take a lifetime of experience with the district with her when she retires on Friday, April 21. <\/p>\n
She\u2019s been what locals affectionately refer to as a \u201cFlat Rat\u201d since she was a towheaded little girl. A few months in Oklahoma, a few months in North Dakota, both stops many years ago, eventually led her back to the Flats, where she resides today, just a block or so from the district\u2019s main campus. Both of those moves were \u201cnothing earth-shattering,\u201d Bonnie said, in her usual low-key manner.<\/p>\n
She said her position with the district \u2013 as a secretary over the years, and today, officially, as a senior typist with the Pupil Personnel Department \u2013 may have been planted by an early influence, when she was still a student.<\/p>\n
\u201cI graduated from Owego Free Academy (OFA), in the first graduating class here in 1973,\u201d she said. One of her favorite people from those days was Mrs. Irene Harders.<\/p>\n
\u201cI worked in the main office as a student worker, sort of a co-op thing, with Mrs. Harders. She was such a sweetheart,\u201d Bonnie said. \u201cMrs. Harders was probably instrumental in me becoming a secretary. As far as teachers go, I didn\u2019t have any clear-cut favorites, really. I got along pretty well with all my teachers.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Bonnie Thomas, it wasn\u2019t just about connections with people. Her Sloppy Joe recipe (which is also very similar to her great-grandmother\u2019s \u2013 go figure) is loosely based on the old school lunch OFA Sloppy Joe recipe.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey taste very close to being the same,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t expect Bonnie to venture too far after retirement. She\u2019ll stay plenty busy with a part-time job, she said, and a bunch of do-it-yourself projects waiting for her at home.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll just be refinishing a couple pieces of furniture,\u201d Bonnie said. \u201cThose are first on my list. I\u2019ll do that, and I\u2019ll spend more time with friends.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
After nearly 20 years employed by OA Schools, Bonnie will take a lifetime of experience with the district with her when she retires on Friday,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":55746,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-55745","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n