JPS 2024 Impact Report - Report - Page 8
FEATURES
56 years of blessings
After serving Jenison Public Schools since 1968,
Counselor Terry Dykstra retires
W
hen the speaker announced to the crowd
that Counselor Terry
Dykstra was retiring a昀琀er 56 years at
Jenison Senior High School, he quietly
walked onto the 昀氀oor and waved to the
gymnasium full of students and sta昀昀.
What started as a typical assembly
cheer quickly turned into a passionate
standing ovation that lasted more than
30 seconds. Around here, loyalty sparks
admiration.
It was as if the entire school realized
the magnitude of his accomplishment
and couldn’t help but celebrate a person
who dedicated his whole working life to
one place.
For the man in the corner of the
gymnasium, the appreciation he has felt
from the Jenison community the past few
weeks has been incredible. Thousands
of likes and hundreds of comments on
social media, countless emails, rewarding
conversations, and now this.
Dykstra raised up both of his arms,
then put his hand on his chest, and 昀椀nally
pointed to the crowd. It was clear he had
made a di昀昀erence.
8
2024 IMPACT REPORT
“That’s been a huge encouragement
to me,” he said about all the positive
feedback.
He began his school counseling career at Jenison in 1968. Back then, there
wasn’t even a senior high building yet so
he worked out of the junior high. And
remarkably he has stayed in the same
position ever since.
“I came in as a counselor and I am leaving as a
counselor,” Dykstra said.
Working with students
and helping them solve
their problems kept him
motivated all these years.
“The kids, they bring
a sense of accomplishment,” he said. His commitment to the district
gave him the opportunity
to support generations of
families.
“He was my counselor
in the 90s and we had the blessing of him
being our oldest daughter’s counselor
who is just about to graduate,” Sara Snell
commented for an April 18, 2024 Facebook post announcing his retirement.
“He is the most caring, empathetic, and
positive man. We will miss him.”
Others pointed out that because he
was the exchange student point sta昀昀
member for decades his impact spans far
beyond the Jenison borders.
“The number of students and community members Terry has positively
impacted is pretty much
beyond comprehension,”
Dave Tchozewski commented on the same
Facebook post. “...Terry
Dykstra is basically the
‘Caitlin Clark’ of school
counselors.”
What’s next? Dykstra plans to spend more
time with his wife of 57
years, three sons, and 14
grandchildren. Which also
means more skiing in Aspen, Colorado, his favorite
spot to hit the slopes. And
more time to volunteer.
He is excited to make the most of
each day moving forward. “I count every
day as a blessing,” he said.
“Terry
Dykstra is
basically
the ‘Caitlin
Clark’ of
school
counselors.”
