After 20 years of teaching, science teacher Cathy Whitaker decided May 22 will mark the end of her teaching career and the date of her retirement. Whitaker plans to  move to Scottsdale, Arizona with her family, where her husband used to live.

“I’m tired of the snow,” Whitaker said. “Plus, I show Arabian horses and Arizona has a large community of them,” Whitaker said.

Whitaker owns seven Arabian horses and has been in the U.S. National top ten several times. As a child, Whitaker enjoyed learning about animals, and planned on becoming a veterinarian.

“I wanted to be a veterinarian, but decided that it just wasn’t for me,” Whitaker said.

Whitaker attended the University of Kansas and majored in Geology.

“I worked for a company called Reindel Environmental Company that required me to be away from home for months at a time, but I wanted to find a field where I didn’t have to travel, but also got to do what I enjoyed,” Whitaker said.

Three years later, Whitaker began teaching science at West.

“It’s amazing seeing my students grow up and what they become over the years,” Whitaker said.

With only a few months left of her teaching career, Whitaker reflects on her years at West and how she has enjoyed seeing her students grow up each day.

“This year I’ve had a very nice group of students, and if this had to be my last year, they made it a very nice one,” Whitaker said.