After 25 years at Cedar Falls, media specialist set to retire

Media Specialist Kim Traw

Traw began teaching in 1977. The majority of her career was spent at Cedar Falls High School, where she was employed for 25 years.

In addition to being involved in traditional library work, Traw also assisted a great deal as a technology coordinator for the school.

“We do traditional library things. We do reading guidance, help students find books that they might want to read. We order new books, we read reviews and we have the catalog process. And in this district we’ve kind of become the technology coordinators for the building. We’ve taken on that role. Chromebooks have added another level to those responsibilities, and with troubleshooting, we’re kind of the first line of defense,” Traw said.

While a lot of Traw’s work is behind the scenes, her dedication to her job has not gone unnoticed by the faculty at the high school.

Librarian Kristi Anhalt described what she would miss most about working alongside Traw.

“When I first came here, she knew a whole lot of stuff, so I enjoyed learning from her. She had expertise across the board, so I really really loved that about her. She knows the history of a lot of things, and she could always explain things from that historical perspective.”

English teacher Michelle Rathe shared her appreciation for Traw.

“Kim Traw has been one of the most influential people during my career at Cedar Falls. Every day, she greets me with a smile, no matter how tough her day might be. From taking time to let me bounce ideas off of her, to giving lesson suggestions, finding resources, teaching lessons from my classes, providing tech information or suggesting books for me to read, Kim inspires, supports and offers guidance in a thousand different ways. Her steady presence has been an anchor for so many teachers and students. I will miss my friend and role model,” Rathe said.

In her role as a media specialist, Traw said, “I love helping people. People are usually really grateful when we help them. I like solving problems that the people might have. The people are always grateful and nice, so that’s my favorite part.”

Kim and her husband will be moving to a retirement community in Arkansas at the end of the school year. Although retirement offers new opportunities, Traw said that she would really miss working at the high school.

“I’ll miss the people and the interactions and the energy — high schools are just full of energy. I will really miss that energy. It’s contagious, and I’ll miss that,” Traw said. “I’ve really enjoyed my time here. I’m very appreciative to have had most of my career in a place like this.”