Dr. Keegan plans her post retirement future

Milton Superintendent Dr. Cathy Keegan has announced that she will retire on Sept. 13, 2022. This year will be her last school year at the head of the district.

The school board will be responsible for the search process in finding her replacement, said Dr. Keegan.

According to Dr. Keegan, she was hired at a school board meeting on April 19, 2010 and began working at Milton on June 1 of that year.

She holds a doctoral degree in education leadership, master’s degree in secondary education, bachelor’s degree in English, with a minor in psychology and an associate’s degree in liberal arts, said Dr. Keegan. She added that she is certified to teach English in grades 7 – 12, Principal Certificate, Curriculum and Instruction Certificate and Superintendents Letter of Eligibility.

Immaculata University, Lehigh University, Penn State University, Cedar Crest College and Lehigh Carbon Community College are the schools Dr. Keegan attended to get all of her degrees.

Dr. Keegan said that she believes the hardest part of having her position was learning that no matter what decision she makes, there is no way to please everyone, but the decisions that will benefit the school and community still have to be made.

Dr. Keegan said she has accomplished school goals with assistance from others. Some changes of the goals she met in her time here include the new athletics facilities under construction and the creation of school social media platforms, she added.

“We addressed nutrition, wellness and fitness and mental health,” she said. According to Dr. Keegan, the school addressed many problems involving the overall health of students, such as Panther Packs addressing food insecurity and Panther Pantry feeding community members during COVID-19. Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) was implemented to provide academic assistance, she added.

Worries involving the social and emotional wellness of students have been addressed as well as students’ academic placement, according to Dr. Keegan.

To improve students’ mental heath the school has collaborated with a community mental health provider to give students access to mental health services from school. Geisinger has extended a mobile dental unit for students without charge this year, added Dr. Keegan.

Dr. Keegan decided to retire because in all her years of working here a lot has changed in her personal life. She wants more time for the new people in her life she cares about, she explained.

She added that she plans to plant a garden, go fishing in the Intercoastal waterway in Florida, throw pottery and create stained glass, read for her own enjoyment and spend quality time with her family and travel.

Dr. Keegan said she has a bucket list of places she would like to visit including Ireland, Mount Rushmore, Jackson Hole, San Marco, St. Simone’s Islands and going to see the Aurora Borealis.

Dr. Keegan reflected on what she would miss about her job. “From a cerebral position – feeling like you make a positive difference everyday – helping children and families and supporting people in need,” Dr. Keegan said. However, she added that she will also miss “Rotini Day” for lunch.

Secretary Ms. Brenda Edinger said she has been working with Dr. Keegan since the superintendent’s first day. Since they have a lot of similarities involving their personalities and where they are in their lives, they enjoy sharing about their personal lives with each other, she added.

Dr. Keegan’s hard work has highlighted the best features of the community and recognize student and staff achievements, said Ms. Edinger. “Dr. Keegan is inherently kind and extremely knowledgeable, and I will miss working with her,” she added.