Westrum retires after 41 years of service to Detroit Lakes Public Schools

Detroit Lakes, Minn. (KDLM) – In 1982, she was a substitute teacher and ended up teaching physical education, health and driver’s education for the next six years.

But in 1988, she accepted a new role with Detroit Lakes Public Schools, a role and program that would be hers to help guide and supervise young students after school hours.

Sandi Westrum, the long-tenured coordinator of the Detroit Lakes latchkey program, celebrated her retirement with family, friends and co-workers at Rossman Elementary on Tuesday evening.

Across a long lunch table, hundreds of photographs were on display that covered the 35 years that the program and Westrum have served the community.

Westrum said the day was happy, but also a sad time because she’s been helping with the program for so long.

“I’m going to miss the kids,” said Westrum. “It’s kind of going to be a real happy, sad time because I’ve been doing it for so long. I’ve been doing it since they started the program in 1988 …  and it’s carried on until now.”

Westrum said she’s always enjoyed the outdoors and plans on being outside a lot more as she begins to enjoy her retirement, but the first project she wants to tackle is her lawn.

“My yard desperately needs help after this summer,” she said. “So I’m going to do a lot of work on my lawn this fall to get it ready for spring. And I’ve got a whole list of projects to do at home, but I don’t have any major plans.“

She also said she was blessed with great employees over the years and she wouldn’t have been able to have made the same impact in the lives of those kids without her great team, which included some family members.

“I just want to thank all of the people that have worked for me over the years,” said Westrum. “And I’ve had many, many family members that have worked for the program. They’d come in when I’d be in a bind for a sub, or something, I’d call, but I’ve had great employees over the years. And I’m going to miss all of them.”

Over her 35 years in the program, she said she was also fortunate enough to have a handful of second-generation latchkey kids. The kids of kids she used to supervise after school.