By Mia Herdeman, Current Staff
The departure of Patricia Noonan will leave a black hole in the West Bend High Schools science department.
Noonan, who plans to retire in June, has been the only teacher for two sections of the department’s Project Lead the Way series of classes for the past six years. However, the department has a plan to make sure the program runs smoothly next year.
PLTW is an introduction to the medical field and gives students the opportunity to explore the numerous fields of work, while also practicing their school work and social skills.
Taylor Konz, an East Science teacher, joined the department in 2020 and has taught the first level of PLTW. Next year she will continue to teach the first level but also move into Noonan’s room, taking on the final level of PLTW.
Once a student at WBHS, Noonan graduated in 1983 from South Milwaukee High School. That’s where she also began her teaching career, after obtaining her bachelor’s of science, with a major in biology and a minor in art.
West science teacher Kara Petzold will continue to teach the middle two PLTW courses. She worked alongside Noonan for eight years. They have enjoyed learning from each other over the years.
“It feels like I’m losing a mentor and a friend,” Petzold said. “But also an advocate for the medical program here.”
By opening their classrooms up to many medical professionals, Petzold and Noonan have inspired their students to continue on with medicine.
West senior Lisa Saric has taken all four years of PLTW, and will continue on to college with the aspiration to leave an impact on the medical field. Saric will major in neurobiology and biology at University of Wisconsin-Madison.
“They’ve both (Noonan and Petzold) inspired me to continue on regardless of any struggles or hardships that might be presented,” Saric said.
During her retirement, Noonan says she plans to apply to Spalding Clinical for a job.
“I just love the science that they do there,” she said.
(Top image: Patricia Noonan teaching her fifth period Biomedical Innovation class on April 26. Photo taken by Mia Herdeman, Current Staff.)
The West Bend Current 
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