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Cloverdale bids farewell to Dave Kiley after 40 years
CLOVERDALE -- As teary-eyed co-valedictorian Taylor Mescall struggled to get through his speech during Cloverdale High School's graduation, Dave Kiley sat silently listening to his words, looking at Mescall and then quickly looking back at his feet.
It was evident then that Kiley not only made an impression on Mescall, but on the majority of the graduating class and the community who turned to look at that their fellow teacher who recently announced his retirement after 40 years.
Kiley, a quiet man who prefers attention not to be focused on him, received a standing ovation in the middle of Mescall's speech and as he stood, looking around the Cloverdale High School gymnasium with a shy smile and eyes welled with tears, no one could have predicted the roar of applause he received.
"In my experience, it was probably the best graduation I've ever been a part of," Cloverdale High School Principal Sonny Stoltz said. "Part of it is a reflection of this man here. It was very fitting to see him be recognized by the students. There were individuals in the crowd, I don't even know who they were, that were crying and actually came up to me and said 'I don't know who that man was, but he's obviously a great man.'"
As Stoltz, along with the entire Cloverdale School Board, recognized Kiley during its monthly meeting earlier this week, Kiley stood by, once again staring at his feet.
"Forty years. I just can't imagine to spend that much time in a classroom as well as all the other jobs you've had," Stoltz added. "On behalf of us, thank you for your time and commitment to the Cloverdale Community Schools."
Kiley, a Crawfordsville native, had come to Cloverdale in 1974 after earning a degree at Indiana State University.
"Basically through athletics I wanted to be a coach and education was the best way to be that," Kiley explained. "This is my first teaching position. I came here in August of 1974. I'm a pretty persistent type of person so when I've got something started I kind of just try to work and make what I have going on better. That was just the focus."
Kiley noted that his persistence in coaching and instructing came from his experiences as a child, growing up with a slew of coaches that changed each year.
"As I went through school, I was always one of those students who wanted to be successful in whatever I did, which most people are like that," Kiley explained. "As I went through sports I would get a new coach every year, every year I'd get a new coach. There was never any continuity to what I was doing. It was just kind of hit and miss each year.
"The one thing I told myself was that, if I was ever going to be a coach, I want to stay there until I've got kids of kids or maybe kids of kids of kids if that's what it takes. I just tried to experience each kid for what they were."
Experiencing each child for what they were was exactly what Kiley did as he reflected on his many years of teaching by joking about coaching board members Rob Schroer and Chris Mann.
"My goal was to go 40 years and I reached that goal," Kiley added. "I cut myself a little short in coaching, I wanted to coach for 30 years, I moved down after 27 years and I felt like I shortchanged myself not sticking with my goal in coaching so, I thought 40 years was necessary in teaching."
Kiley may not have made his 30-year coaching goal before retirement, but it is apparent he will be greatly missed in the Cloverdale community.
"I was always told when the time comes you'd know it," Kiley said of retirement. "With things changing in education like they're changing, I just felt that this was as good of time as any.
"I'm going to miss the interacting with kids," he said. "I try to make that the priority of my day, the interaction with as many students as I have. Even the ones I don't have. Whether or not I have them in class at that time has nothing to do with my interaction with them."
Kiley plans to finish out the summer being a driver's education instructor, which he has done each year since 1994 following his 20 years on the summer maintenance staff, before truly going into retirement and spending some well deserved time with his wife Marge or "his hottie" as he likes to call her.
"My wife, Marge, and I have several things we want to do," Kiley said with a smile. "We've done a lot of things, but there are still things that we want to do and I have some projects and some hobbies I continue to pursue."
Kiley noted that he and his family plan on staying in the Cloverdale community, which they will always consider home.
"I really enjoyed my years at Cloverdale," Kiley humbly said. "Cloverdale has been a really good community to me. It's supported my wresting program and the things I've been able to do. It just worked with me. I just really appreciate being able to work with either yourselves and many of your children. It's been really good to be at Cloverdale, and I'm going to miss a lot of things."