Two teachers from Catasauqua Middle School retired at the end of the 2019-20 school year - seventh-grade teacher Judy Evans and fifth-grade teacher Janice Walenta.

Evans was born and raised in North Catasauqua and attended the Catasauqua Area School District. She graduated from Temple University in 1984, where she majored in secondary mathematics education. She also earned a master’s degree in secondary mathematics education from Wilkes University and a program specialist ESL certification from Penn State University.

In July 1984, she was hired to teach in CASD. For 13 years, she taught math at Catasauqua High School before accepting an open position teaching at Lincoln Middle School.

“I like change, so I decided to make the switch,” she said.

She continued to teach seventh- and eighth-grade mathematics for the next 23 years.

“I pride myself in being able to say I taught every grade I was certified to teach - seventh through 12th grades,” she said.

She thought it funny to note her room number at Lincoln was 113. When they made the switch to the renovated CMS, which was in the old high school building, her room number was 113 again, and it happened to be the same room she taught in at the beginning of her teaching career.

In her retirement, she plans to continue her volunteer work. She does ministry work at the Lehigh County Jail each Sunday and volunteers with the Gift of Life donor program. She also enjoys acting and has participated in community theater for 12 years. She was most recently working on a show called “Thinner Than Water,” which she hopes will be performed in the fall at Between the Lines Studio in Allentown. She also hopes to travel during her retirement.

She credits much of her successful career as a teacher to her supportive family - her late husband of 28 years, John, and their two children, Jaclyn and Ian.

“All three of them have listened to me, encouraged me and supported me throughout my tenure as a teacher,” she said. “I couldn’t have done it without them.”

During her time as a teacher, she said she kept her expectations high and believed her students would rise to meet her standards.

“I was truly impressed to see so many students meet those expectations and some even surpassed them,” Evans said. She noted how much she enjoyed seeing students figure out a difficult problem and seeing the “light bulb go on.”

“I have made so many friendships throughout my years at Catasauqua,” she said. “I won’t miss the work, but I will miss the people.”

After graduating from William Allen High School in 1976, Walenta attended Muhlenberg College as a math major. She planned on being a secondary math teacher, but due to a poor job market, she switched her major and graduated with a major in accounting.

She worked as an accountant at The Morning Call for 10 years and was a math tutor at night.

Teaching was still a passion for Walenta, so she went back to school to get her elementary certification in the hopes of finding a job teaching middle school.

Walenta worked as a substitute teacher for about half a year before landing a teaching position at CMS in 1992. While she taught in various positions at the school, she primarily taught fifth- and sixth-grade students.

“I absolutely loved teaching in Catasauqua,” Walenta said about her 28 years in the district.

She reported she does not have plans yet for retirement due to the COVID-19 pandemic.