STRATFORD — When Sarah Binder came to the Stratford school system she started out in curriculum development and professional development.

When she eventually became full-time superintendent, Binder continued in that role, helping teachers increase their skills and helping the school navigate the continually changing world of education.

Binder will retire as Stratford Community School District superintendent at the end of the school year after about 17 years in the position.

“I’ve enjoyed it a great deal,” Binder said. “The community is really supportive of the elementary and the K-12 program.”

Stratford’s elementary has classes for kindergarten through sixth grade. Seventh through 12th grade then attend Webster City Middle School and Webster City High School.

There have been many changes in the school since Binder began, but the collaboration has gone on for years before Binder was hired.

“Stratford has had the sharing agreement since 1988, and it’s been highly successful,” Binder said. “Both districts have worked together to make sure kids are successful when they transition from the small neighborhood school to the big school in Webster City.”

Binder started in 1993 working for Stratford, Webster City and Northeast Hamilton. After that she became half-time principal at Stratford, spending the rest of her time at Webster City.

Over those years she’s seen big changes in technology.

“When I first came here we did have a computer lab here in the library,” she said.

The school was quick to embrace changes, and today every student has a device, most of them right at their table or desk, she said.

“We’re one of the first schools to get a Carver Trust Fund grant that began our journey integrating technology into students’ everyday learning and working lives,” Binder said.

This lets students complete all kinds of projects, not just writing assignments, she said.

“When I think back to the years when I would have been writing it out, and then rewriting it out, then finally writing it with pen,” said Binder. “It’s neat to see the kinds of projects kids can be involved in.”

Also during her tenure the school transitioned to multi-age classrooms, she said, “which allows us to really challenge kids at their level.”

A small school is always looking for ways to think outside the box, Binder said, and offer the things a big school can offer in spite of a smaller staff.

The school also works hard to make up for sometimes scarce funds.

“Finances are a challenge in all schools,” Binder said. “The money’s just not flowing, but at Stratford staff have been really actively involved in writing grants. The grants fund some of the innovative creative programs that get started.

” One example would be our butterfly garden.”

Binder was born and grew up in the area of Littleton, Colorado. Her parents later relocated to California, where her mother was a teacher and her father an engineer. Binder came to Iowa to attend school at Cornell College.

She married in California and taught there for a number of years. She also taught in Tucson, Arizona, before moving to Iowa when her husband was with the United States Department of Agriculture.

Her teaching experience in Iowa was eclectic.

“I did do some things with elementary school teachers in Webster City where they explored project-based learning. I had a group that learned folk dances,” she said.

When she became principal at Stratford she was asked to teach Spanish.

” That was a lot of fun because that was a new area for me,” she said. “I had taught bilingual classes in California and Arizona, but had never taught Spanish classes in a school like Stratford where it was really enrichment.

“When I became superintendent I did not continue with teaching Spanish, and I really miss it, truth be told.”

In retirement, Binder hopes she will still be back in the schools now and then, as a children’s author.

“My new thing I will be doing is getting the children’s books I’ve written published,” she said. “I have not worked hard at getting them published. I’ve been busy at work. I always said I would do that when I retire.”

She and her husband planned to move back west to be closer to family, but had second thoughts as time goes on.

“We have so many friends in the Ames area,” Binder said. “Now we are not going to put the house on the market for a year, and learn what it’s like to live in Ames and not be in Stratford all the time.”