After 38 years of educating with empathy and positivity, Curt Hanks ends his successful career
For over 38 years, Curt Hanks has dedicated his life to preparing students for the future. His sense of humor, natural empathy, and kindness have made him an asset to Cache County School District. This year, he retires, and he will be missed greatly.
For the past seven years, Hanks has served as one of the assistant principals at Sky View High School, and he has Bobcat blood in his veins. Not only did he graduate from Sky View in 1975, but his wife and four daughters are also Sky View graduates. After his graduation, Hanks went to Japan for a church service mission and caught the “teaching bug” after holding English classes three times a week. His desire to teach continued as he graduated from Utah State University in Secondary Education with a biology degree.
Hanks began his career in education in 1982, teaching science at a middle school in the Jordan School District. When he received a call about a job opening at South Cache Middle School, Hanks applied and soon moved back to Cache Valley to teach science. He later taught at Spring Creek Middle School for about 10 years, until he became the vice principal at North Cache Middle School. Hanks then shifted gears to become the principal at Lincoln Elementary School, where he worked until seven years ago when he started the position of Sky View High School assistant principal.
After 38 years in education, Hanks still enjoys getting out of bed every morning and coming to work. As a young man, he would have never guessed he would become an educator, but he now considers himself lucky to have had the privilege and blessing of working with youth and preparing them for their future.
“I hope my students remember how they felt in my classes,” he said. “I had a ball teaching and being in administration — the kids make me laugh every single day. I would hope that the students know that I cared about them. It has been a privilege to rub shoulders with great educators who I have learned from my whole career.”
Sky View Principal Michael Monson will miss Hanks’ positivity and empathy. “In education, you get the opportunity to work with some of the finest people on the plane — people that dedicate their lives to helping the next generation,” he said. “Curt Hanks is really an example of one of the great people in this field. His humor, knowledge, empathy for students, and his ability to find good in everything are things that I will miss. I will really miss our daily association and I am so glad I had the opportunity to cross paths with him.”
Phillip Morris, assistant principal at Sky View, has also enjoyed the privilege of working with Hanks. He said, “Hank’s combination of quick wit and kindness along with his work ethic and willingness to help out regardless of the task is without a doubt the most unique combination of talents I have ever had the pleasure of being around. Anyone who has had the opportunity of working closely with him regards it as a blessing. He is one of a kind and will be sorely missed by all of us here at Sky View.”
We’re grateful to Mr. Hanks for his invaluable contribution to the district and wish him well on his future endeavors!