Michele Wood

WATONGA — Michele Wood was the freshman and sophomore English teacher at Watonga High School. From being a journalist to a teacher, she led a free-spirited life that will be remembered by everyone she crossed paths with. Michele died on Friday, March 11 at the age of 61. Her death was unexpected and sent shockwaves through the town of Watonga as her students, colleagues, friends, and family mourned.

Her students, both current and past, had many fond memories of her. Logan Mc-Speritt was in her sophomore English class this year. He and other classmates Calista Riley, Carson Reyburn, and Maggie High were shocked to hear about the news. On Saturday, they all bought balloons of her favorite colors, lime green and purple, and wrote little notes inside and released them. She had a big impact on her students through learning and by giving them a fun environment to learn in. “One time she took a slappy hand from Calista and just started swinging it around while she was talking … and then she accidentally threw it at Calista,” Logan said, detailing one of his fondest memories of Ms. Wood.

Michele was Carson’s favorite teacher. “I could talk to her about like anything and she just kinda understood,” she said. “I also loved how her class never felt super like strict and it was actually fun … she was an amazing person all around. Ms. Wood had even made a doctor's appointment for Carson before. On the day before spring break, she had given her and Logan cookies and wished them well.

Ms. Wood was also Calista’s favorite teacher. Calista felt as though Michele truly cared for all of her students. “The memories that I have will stick with me forever,” she said, “My favorite memory of Ms. Wood is probably when she let a few of us kids move all the desks to the side and play Just Dance during academic hour when we were done with our work.” Calista already misses her and her fun environment. “She was my safe person,” Calista said.

Callie Edsall is a junior this year, but she was in Michele’s class last year. Callie said Michele gave everyone equal respect regardless of who you were or what you came from, even though her niceness could sometimes get “taken advantage of.” Her class always made Callie’s day, with the way Ms. Wood greeted everyone with a smile. Michele would often tell her classes about her career in journalism to help kids better understand writing. “I hope she can look down on us and watch us do great things, knowing we were forever impacted by her,” Callie said.

Watonga Superintendent Kyle Hilterbran said Wood was “cared for by many of her students and many of her colleagues.”

“She came to work every day with a smile on her face, ready to teach and ready to help kids learn,” Hilterbran said. “She’s going to be missed, but hopefully the kids that she taught will thrive in their lives. Our thoughts and prayers are with all her friends, family and colleagues.”