Dedication thanked on DeGeest Day - Daily Republic
On Monday, his students, colleagues and friends honored his 54 years in education, with most of that as the chief administrator for Corsica. DeGeest was recognized during an afternoon celebration at the Corsica High School gym. They included a letter from U. S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and letters of congratulations from South Dakota's congressional representatives. He was a teacher and coach at Gayville for four years, then spent 13 years as a teacher, coach and administrator in Viborg before moving to Corsica, where he is the longest-tenured active superintendent in South Dakota at 37 years. School Administrators of South Dakota Executive Director Rob Monson said they tried to look up where DeGeest stood nationally, but there are no solid records. Bill Van Gerpen (R-Tyndall), who represents the Corsica area, said DeGeest has always made it clear he was there to help as much as he could. Van Gerpen said DeGeest is uniquely capable of handling the difference between making policy at the administrative level and implementing that policy in the schools. He could do that, Van Gerpen said, because he's been at every level of the school process, from coaching and teaching, to athletic director and superintendent, and has earned people's respect by understanding their. Source: www.mitchellrepublic.com
