Louise Ritsema

Just this evening, sixteen years after her passing, I decided to look up Miss Ritsema and found this page.
Miss Ritsema was a beloved and widely respected principal at Fritz School when I was in second grade in 1954 and at Haisley once it opened later in 1954. I still remember the day in the summer of 1954 when I was one of four or five students who helped her carry the contents of her office from Fritz and along a dirt path through the woods to her new office at Haisley. ...

It's 2023, and I am just now seeing the obituary of Louise Ritsema, one of my first principals when I began my teaching career in 1965. I taught elementary school physical education in three schools. Miss Ritsema was my favorite and the most supportive for a new teacher. Though I was only on the Haisley campus 2.5 days per week, IT was my home school and Louise was the principal I looked to as a model for the kind of teacher I strove to be. She made a difference in the lives of kids and...

I attended Haisley from second through sixth grades, beginning in 1956. Miss Ritsema saw my love of nature and let me join the Junior Audubon Club, even though it was supposed to be only for fifth and sixth graders. I'll always be grateful to her for that, and for sharing her passion for nature with me. She also encouraged me in a number of ways during my elementary career. I remember Haisley as a bright and cheerful place, and have fond memories of those early morning Christmas carol sings....

During my Kindergarten year at Haisley, my family moved to Rockford, Il. On my last day, I remember being in the office with my parents, crying because I did not want to go. Miss Ritsema told me that it would be alright, I would be back to Haisley.
2 years later, she greeted me with a cherry "Now, didn't I tell you that you'd be back?"

I to was a student at Haisley in the 50's. Miss Ritsema was more then a Principle she was a true humanitarian. We had a lot of family problems she was always there to help us out. She saved me more then once. When I grew up and moved back into my old house my granddaughter was able to go to Haisley under Miss Ritsema for one year until she retired. Myself, my daughter and my granddaughter were lucky to have known her. This community has lost a wonderful person.Lynn (Wright) Tieman

I attended Haisley from Kindergarten (1955) through 6th grade. Louise and Velma were also our neighbors. I loved visiting them - they had such interesting things from their travels and they loved to broaden people's horizons. They always respected children and young people and were genuinely interested and caring people. They were a huge influence on my young life, and I loved them both.

I attended Angell School in Ann Arbor and was is Miss Ritsema's 6th grade. class.  I have many wonderful memories of that year but my favorite is when she had our class identify all the trees in the school yard, write a report on each one, and do various kinds of art work to illustrate the leaf, nut, or fruit of each specific tree.  These reports were then put together in a book between two peices of wood for the cover.  We each woodburned  a design into the front cover.  The reason I can...

We moved to Ann Arbor in 1977 and into the Haisly school district. My husband was so impressed by Miss Ritsema and the time she took to show off Haisley that he knew for sure this was the right school for our children. She was truly a dedicated principal and loved her students. She greeted each child every morning at the front door, and yes knew each one by name. I doubt there are many today that have the dedication to education that she had.
Bless you Miss Ritsema.

My thought are with her family and friends. Miss Ritsema was my (and later my siblings') principal from the late 1957 through the 60s. I then attended Tappan Jr. High where I had Miss Coyne as my counselor. Miss Ritsema was always firm yet pleasant and always fair. I will always remember the Christmas carol singing in the lobby around Christmastime every morning before school. Too bad such a warm and unifying event has had to be canceled. I used to also sit in her office next to her secretary...