Kathy Kloss, left, Bob Lacivita, center, and Oswilla McGovern, right, were honored with a parade and ceremony on Wednesday morning.
The North Montco Technical Career Center held a special ceremony and vehicle parade on Wednesday morning, honoring three long-time faculty members who have decided to retire.
Those retirees include Kathy Kloss, a guidance counselor with 24 years of service, Bob Lacivita, the school’s assistant director and 25-year employee, and Oswilla McGovern, the school’s long-time English teacher.
Dozens of faculty and family members participated in the parade, along with a pair of vehicles from the Towamencin Township Police Department. As the vehicles passed, the drivers honked and waived, while others stopped to hand off gifts to Kloss, Lacivita and McGovern. Afterwards, the school held a socially-distant ceremony for the outgoing faculty members, thanking them for their years of service and recognizing their highlights and accomplishments.
Read more about Kloss, Lacivita and McGovern below.
Kathy Kloss: Guidance Counselor, 24 years at North Montco Technical Career Center
After graduating from college in 1974, and trying a number of different jobs, Kloss finally decided that education was what she was meant to do. In 1984, she started as an English teacher for 7th and 8th graders. In 1989, she completed her master’s degree in counseling, after deciding that what she enjoyed most about teaching was talking with students one on one. She began as a counselor working in elementary schools and joined the staff at NMTCC in October 1996.
Kloss reminds prospective students about the value of technical education and feels it is the best opportunity for our youth of today.
“At NMTCC, students receive a quality education that prepares them for a skilled technical career, right out of high school,” Kloss said. “It also prepares them to excel at a post-secondary institution, whether it be a trade or technical school, a community college or a four-year college or university.”
“At North Montco Technical Career Center, I have had the honor of working with the best people ever,” Kloss said. “We have learned to trust each other through various in-service activities like being blindfolded and having to follow our leader around outside. We have laughed at, and with, each other as we’ve shared our lives. And we’ve grieved with each other at the loss of students and former faculty and staff. It has been an amazing journey.”
In the future, Kloss would like to volunteer at her neighborhood elementary school, the hospital and the library. She plans to take a cruise to Alaska when it is safe to travel again, and she plans to continue enjoying her favorite pastime — reading!
"There are a lot of books out there, and I can't wait to continue working through them," Kloss said.
Bob Lacivita: Assistant Director, 25 years at North Montco Technical Career Center
After a successful 27-year career in the automotive industry, Lacivita arrived at North Montco Technical Career Center 25 years ago. He spent 12 years teaching Automotive Technology, before becoming a teacher on special assignment and North Montco’s Assistant Director in 2018.
Lacivita has several great memories, but the one he remembers most was when one of his first students came back to visit him about five years after the student had graduated. The student thanked “Mr. L” for being tough on him, and stated that his time at North Montco prepared him to become the lead technician at a local dealership. That student coming back, as did many others over the years, let Lacivita know he had made it as a teacher.
Now, Lacivita is very proud that one of his former students has taken his place as an Automotive Technology teacher at North Montco.
“I am honored to have been part of this remarkable North Montco family for 25 incredible years,” said Lacivita, when asked about his feelings on retirement. “The future of career and technical education is brighter than ever. Now, there is little question that Career and Technical Education (CTE) is in the middle of a truly transformative moment that covers everything from early career exploration to highly technical training. North Montco has the staff, expertise, and leadership to meet its stated goal of preparing 21st century students for the career of their choosing and/or college.”
Over his years in education, Lacivita served on numerous North Montco and PA Department of Education (PDE) committees, including Programs of Study, Perkins, PA Governor’s Institutes for Math and Reading Integration, PDE Math Council, and was responsible for the compliance of the numerous state, PDE and foundation grants he wrote and was awarded. Lacivita was also honored as PA CTE Educator for his work with preparing North Montco for their first PDE Approved Program Evaluation review.
In retirement, Lacivita plans to spend time with his wife of 47 years, his three fabulous granddaughters, continue to write for The Family Handyman magazine, read and putter in the garage.
Oswilla McGovern: English Teacher, 26 years at North Montco Technical Career Center
McGovern was raised in Clearfield, PA and graduated from Thiel College in 1972 with a bachelor’s degree in English and a secondary education certification. She moved to southeastern PA in the early 70s and worked for several places, including a major pharmaceutical company before she began at NMTCC. McGovern started teaching at North Montco part-time in 1994 and moved to the full-time position in 1998 teaching English to students enrolled in the Pennsylvania Youth Apprenticeship Program.
McGovern challenged her students to work hard and was instrumental in establishing a Take Your Children to Work Day at North Montco, to introduce career and technical education to children at a younger age. She states she will miss “interacting with students who made me laugh and cry and who challenged me to do my best."
“[I’ll also] miss the camaraderie of my colleagues and their willingness to help with everything from working with our students to giving advice about home projects,” McGovern said. “I learned a lot from them.”
McGovern's hope for North Montco is that the school continues to generate graduates who will be outstanding in the workplace and who will contribute to their communities and erase the stigma that still exists about technical schools. During her retirement, she hopes to travel within and outside the U.S., use her free time for reading and crafting, find a way to contribute to society, learn something new and try to sleep later.
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