By: Mackenzie Vogt
As the end of the 2019-2020 school year approaches, an essential figure to Northwest’s music department, Cindy Coe, has also decided to close a chapter. Coe has made the decision to retire at the end of this school year.
Having been at Northwest for over 20 years, she held various job titles. Her love for music began at a young age with piano lessons in the third grade and continues to this day.
“What don’t I like about music? I mean I turn the radio on in the morning and listen to the same things that you guys listen to on the way over here,” Coe said.
Coe’s career at Northwest started as an hourly job as an accompanist. That eventually turned into the two contracts she now has: one as a music teacher and the other to accompany the choir on the piano.
Jeff Vyhlidal, the current vocal music teacher who co-teaches with Coe, recalls how she has been an essential part of his welcome here. Coe has been a great team member to Vyhiladal, as this was his first year at Northwest
“[She has] really helped me gain an insight to how things have worked here in the past,” Vyhlidal said. “It helps me in deciding what to do moving forward.”
Coe’s presence also reaches out to touch the lives of her students as well. Junior Rylie McNelis, a student of Coe’s, elaborates on that fact.
“I’m gonna miss Mrs. Coe a lot, but I think that it’s good for her. She’s just a great person, and I’m excited to see where the Lord leads her.”
Coe explained that retirement was an unexpected decision, but ended up being something she wanted. With her husband also retiring at the end of the year, she’s looking most forward to having a less busy schedule. Coe also talked about the mixed emotions she had when announcing her retirement to her students.
“When I first told the kids it was hard, and I don’t know why it just kind of hit me,” Coe said. “I was excited to tell them, and I was happy about it, and then the tears started falling. There were both sides.”
Coe wanted to end on the note that she isn’t retiring due to any animosity towards the new changes to Northwest this past year. She also wanted to tell Vikings to “be good people. I think we should try to do our best, always.”
*Photo Courtesy of Tally Creative
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