Delta Kappa Gamma Spotlight Educator

Cheryl (Carlgren) Holmes is an educator that has worked hard in a life service to people of many ages and circumstances. She was raised by Vivian and Charles Carlgren on a farm one mile east of Norway, KS. She attended grades one through eight in Norway and graduated from Scandia high school. She went on to earn her bachelor's degree from Bethany College.
Cheryl fell in love and married Mike Holmes. They moved to Fort Collins, CO. While living in Colorado, Cheryl enjoyed down hill skiing and being outdoors in nature. Cheryl worked in a family practice as an assistant lab tech and medical receptionist for five and a half years.
Mike and Cheryl welcomed their first child, Adam, while living in Colorado. About a year later, they moved their small family to Cherokee, IA. Cheryl worked as a psychiatric aid in a psychiatric hospital. She found it very rewarding working with psychiatric patients, and she loved her vocation. This work opened Cheryl's eyes to mental illness and how it can affect anyone. The only drawback of this job was working full-time during nights as Adam was becoming a toddler.
As a result, Cheryl became a pharmacy tech at a family owned pharmacy. The young pharmacy owner was amazed at Cheryl's perseverance when she worked through her second pregnancy. This dedication to work and helping others were two values ingrained into Cheryl and are reflected in her life to this day.
Cheryl gave birth to her second child, Rachel, in Iowa. About two and a half years later a big work and life decision was made. Mike was in the shoe business and found an opportunity in Concordia. After deliberation the couple decided to move to back to Kansas. Mike was the owner and manger of a shoe business in Concordia for many years.
Since education was close to Cheryl's heart, she became a substitute and para in the Concordia public school system. The director of the Learning Coop was impressed with Cheryl and wanted to hire her through the Learning Coop to work with students with special needs. For this job Cheryl needed to get her Kansas provisional license. Not only did Cheryl get her license, but she also earned a master's degree in special education at Kansas State University.
Cheryl worked in Belleville as a special education teacher for seven years until an opening became available in Concordia. She has worked with adolescent special needs students, grades nine through twelve, for the past 29 years.
Being able to learn first-hand about the different struggles these students deal with has made Cheryl very committed in her mission. She feels strongly that as an educator, special needs students need to be taught academic skills and to have the opportunities to be able to self-advocate for themselves after they finish their academic training. Her students have been encouraged to apply and request appropriate accommodations so they are able to become actively employed citizens in their communities.
As one examines Cheryl Holmes' life, the values that she was taught early in life continue to shine through. Cheryl's mother, Vivian, was insistent that all of her children needed to get good educations in order to be able to take care of themselves. Cheryl did that by earning her bachelor's and master's degree.
Observing Swedish and Norwegian customs at Christmas with her extended families has always been a  meaningful tradition to Cheryl.
Religious faith has also influenced her life and she is currently an active member of the Lutheran church. For the third year in a row, Cheryl will sing in the Messiah which is performed at her alma mater, Bethany College.
The legacy that Cheryl leaves to this world is continuing to evolve. She and her siblings took loving care of her elderly parents during their later years of life. Cheryl has invested time and energy in friends and family. This has added much meaning throughout her life. Generativity is reflected in her priorities in these two areas.
Cheryl is a member of Delta Kappa Gamma and P.E.O. She takes much pride in her son Adam and his wife Sarah, Olathe, KS. Adam is an electrician and Sarah works at the University of Kansas in the field of early childhood education. It has also been a joy for Cheryl to be close in proximity to her daughter, Rachel, who works as an occupational therapist in Concordia. Rachel's husband Richard is an optometrist in Concordia and they have three children, Avery, Elleyn, and Ledger.
Family, friends, and faith are values that are of greatest importance for Cheryl now and in the future.