Even though Rick Cordes’ teaching career included climbing the walls of Leonidas School to remove kickballs from the roof, his studies at Glen Oaks Community College planted his feet firmly on the ground as an educator.
“I can’t say enough about how wonderful it is that we have this higher education institution right in the middle of our county,” said Cordes, a 1964 Mendon High School graduate and Three Rivers resident.
Whether students are seeking a certification, or simply wanting to increase their academic or technical skills, the college can assist them in their life pursuits.
“It’s an amazingly helpful institution,” he said. “It opens up all sorts of doors for people.”
Cordes, then a recent graduate from the University of Michigan with a bachelor’s degree in journalism, had secured a position as a fifth-grade teacher for Colon Community Schools. For continued employment in the field of education, however, he had to obtain a teaching certificate.
“I needed coursework and I needed it right away,” he said.
Glen Oaks filled the bill. They accommodated his schedule and he enjoyed learning from college legends Dick Schlimgen and Richard Cripe. After a seamless transfer to additional studies at Western Michigan University, he procured the necessary certification.
Thus began a 37-year career throughout which Cordes impacted hundreds of young lives as a teacher and a principal at Leonidas School and later Colon Elementary.
At one point during his tenure in Colon, he requested a leave of absence to explore ways to improve the school’s suffering MEAP scores. Following extensive research and curriculum development, he created a plan that raised the district from near the bottom of the charts to among the top three. For this achievement, the State of Michigan recognized Colon Community Schools with a Golden Apple Award and $10,000.
Another accomplishment of which Cordes is extremely proud is starting two cross country teams: the Cougars homeschool team which had great success, and the Howardsville Christian School team, some of whose current members are children of his early runners.
Following a brief retirement from teaching, Cordes transitioned into the role of a reporter for the Three Rivers Commercial-News. There, he spent nearly a decade covering a wide variety of topics from government meetings to human interest stories, while building lifelong friendships and becoming more involved in the Three Rivers and St. Joseph County communities.
Retirement from the Commercial-News opened new doors for him to engage with the community. He currently serves as president of the Fisher Lake Association board, president of the Affinity House advisory board, secretary of the Beacon Health System – Three Rivers Health board, member of the Three Rivers Downtown Development Authority organizational committee, 50-plus-year member of the Camp Wakeshma board, and a participant at the University of Michigan’s archaeological dig team at the Belson Clovis Site in St. Joseph County. He also twice chaired Glen Oaks’ millage committee.
In his free time, he loves life on all-sports Fisher Lake, where he resides with wife Laurel and cat Ernie. Travel adventures include visiting one or more of the couple’s six children – who live in six different states across the country – or taking his sailboat out on Lake Michigan.