As the school year comes to a close, five beloved Groves staff members will be entering retirement and moving onto their next adventure. English teachers Mrs. Voigt and Mr. Inloes, business teacher and golf coach Mr. White, athletic director Tom Flynn and Spanish teacher Sra. Law have all greatly impacted our school during their time at Groves High School, and as we get ready to say goodbye to these instrumental faculty members, we want to highlight their achievements and celebrate what they have brought to our school. Each of these staff members has contributed immensely to the culture of our building, and we know their impacts will be ingrained permanently in our school. We wish them each the best of luck in wherever their paths may lead, and we know they will always be Falcons.
Mrs. Voigt always knew she wanted to be a teacher, noting she wanted to be in the classroom and “with children”, and has dedicated over two decades to the teaching profession. She has loved her time at Groves and calls D7 “the best piece of real-estate in the building”. Voigt has also sent her own children through the Birmingham Public Schools district, and names the successes of her own children at Groves her biggest Groves accomplishment. She specifically appreciates how her “colleagues prepared [her children] for the real-life world”. Not only has Mrs. Voigt watched countless students grow, but says that in the Groves environment she has “learned and grown” so much herself. She mentions how unique it is to “live and work in the same community”, watching transformations of so many families.
As Voigt prepares for her final teaching days, she also plans for the next chapter ahead. Voigt is planning many trips with her husband which will take place “the same time as school starts”, the details and location of which are not ready to be disclosed. And Voigt’s dear friend owns Quix Chocolate in Ferndale, where you might see Voigt picking up a shift in the near future.
Mr Inloes has been teaching at Groves for over 25 years and has become well-known and well-loved through his popular English courses. He has specifically enjoyed teaching future studies, where “the curriculum has indulged in the speculation of aliens, time travel, genetic engineering and artificial intelligence”. Inloes was originally a Berkshire teacher for 9 years, but once he got involved with the cross-country community at Groves he quickly realized he “needed to be in the Groves building”. Mr. Inloes had asked to be “transferred to Groves and the rest is history”. In retirement, he plans to continue to play his guitar, which he has been known to do in his classes throughout the years. He also hopes to knock some travel destinations off his bucket list, such as “some national parks and some countries in Europe and Asia”. The entirety of the Groves community wishes Mr. Inloes the best on all of his future endeavors and are forever grateful for the impact he has made on so many.
Mr. White has been teaching at Groves High School for 23 years, teaching a variety of classes like Business Foundations, Computer Technology, Business Law, and Business Math; before he began teaching at Groves, he taught in Detroit for 11 years. He enjoyed watching his students succeed both academically and on the athletic fields, “it’s very rewarding.” Since he began teaching he learned that “you have to be adaptable to work with [students] and try to make sure they can be successful.” White also learned more about how “you have to have empathy”, which he has strived to fulfill during his time teaching. As White goes on into retirement he is going to miss the relationships that he has with his students and the other staff members. In his retirement he wants to “try to get some traveling in” and he explained that he wants to “try to see the world a little more.”
Athletic director Tom Flynn has spent many years at Groves. As early as middle school, Flynn has been around sports, and his goal has always been to be associated with athletics, no matter the circumstances. As he progressed through high school, he did some athletic training and began learning the craft of directing sports whilst in college, and has been working at Groves ever since. Flynn says that “seeing the kids become freshmen to seniors, grow and become young adults” is his favorite aspect of being an athletic director here at Groves.
Not only has he watched the students and athletes grow, he has also watched the school grow with its many renovations to the athletic areas. Flynn thinks that the additions to the school will be a “great thing for our kids in this community.” Flynn says that being an athletic director was “more about the kids than anything else”. He wants the students to know that no matter how difficult it gets, “stay persistent, don’t take no for an answer, keep working towards your goal”. As he nears the end of his career at Groves, his next step during retirement is to become the OAA commissioner in the athletic department to guide the athletic community in Oakland County. The Groves community, especially the athletic community, will miss the dedication that Flynn put into the sports at Groves.
Sra. Law has spent 26 years teaching Spanish at Groves High School. She started her job at Groves— which was her first— when she was 22. She loves going to events where her students can showcase their skills. She also “enjoyed and appreciated the cultural retreat, spirit week and especially the staff-senior tug-of-war.” She claims that Groves has a very special place in her heart, and that leaving Groves will be really hard for her. She has made so many connections to several people, both staff and students, and enjoys every part of teaching. To her, this is her dream job, saying, “I look forward to something everyday… I’m going to miss that family feeling because I don’t think [that family feeling] happens everywhere.” Sra. Law will be moving to Buffalo, New York, where lots of her relatives live. She is scared that schools there wouldn’t have the same “family feeling” like Groves does. Despite this worry, she believes moving will be easier on her family. “I have a kid now, a little one year old. My wife and I adopted him just over a year ago… It’s a big life event, a huge change. It kinda makes us step back and reconsider things, right? Like is this the right place for us to bring up our child? And so we decided that we want to settle somewhere different, have more family, more relatives.” Despite the new environment, she is excited to learn her way around her new community, make new memories, and begin this new chapter in her life.
On behalf of the entire school, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to these five staff members for their years of service and commitment to education. Their retirement marks the end of an era, but their legacy will live on. They have touched so many lives and we are so grateful for all the hard work, dedication, and inspiration they have brought to the classroom. Farewell! We wish you all the best!
