By the Polk County Itemizer-Observer
MONMOUTH — Western Oregon University’s women’s soccer team will import an assistant coach from the University of Oregon for the new season this fall.
Maryn Beutler, most recently a University of Oregon graduate assistant coach, will join the Wolves.
Head coach Kacey Bingham said she’s eager to have Beutler to join her staff, according to a WOU news release.
“I’ve known and been able to work with Maryn for the past couple of years. I have been so impressed with her coaching and leadership style,” Bingham said. “It is so important to bring on coaches who can relate to the players but also challenge them. She has so much passion for the game and coaching.”
Beutler said is thankful for the opportunity to join the coaching staff at WOU.
“I am passionate about my coaching career and look forward to bringing what I have learned from my past experiences to the program,” Beutler said. “I am looking forward to the opportunity to continue to learn and push this team forward. I’m excited to work with head coach Kacey Bingham and this talented group of young women.”
Beutler remained with the Ducks after a successful playing career, serving as a graduate assistant coach and director of operations over the past two years. Along with serving her role with the University of Oregon, Beutler was actively involved with the Timbers and Thorns Youth Soccer Department.
Originally from Bend, Beutler was a midfielder for the Ducks from 2012-16 playing in 78 career matches, tallying eight goals and two assists for 18 points. Of her eight goals, five were game-winners. Her 78 appearances rank sixth all-time at Oregon, while her 94 career shots rank 10th.
She took home Pac-12 player of the week honors during her senior season after posting a goal and an assist in Oregon’s wins over Arizona and Arizona State.
Beutler graduated from Oregon with a degree in journalism in 2016.
Before arriving back at Oregon to begin her collegiate coaching career, Beutler coached the 02 and 03 Girls in the Eastside Timbers Soccer Club and played in the WPSL with the Westside Timbers. Beutler was part of several successful teams during her high school career at Bend helping lead the team to the 2008 and 2009 state 5A Championships.
“I was at risk,” said Ilg, who has taught at La Grande High School the past nine years.
Ilg was getting bad grades, did not like school and was part of a crowd that shared this sentiment.
“None of my friends graduated from high school,” he said. “They all dropped out.”
Despite these bad influences, Ilg made it to his high school’s commencement stage thanks to his interest in shop classes, which drew him to school, plus an inner conviction.
“I wanted a better life for myself,” the educator said.
Ilg, who recently retired after a 32-year career as a high school business, welding, auto shop and yearbook teacher, was not sure which road would lead to a better life, but he certainly didn’t expect it to wind back to high school.
“I never thought I would be a high school teacher, not ever,” he said.
A family tragedy about a decade later changed his mind.
Ilg’s brother, Jim, 10 years his junior, was paralyzed in a traffic crash. Steve Ilg responded by taking his brother, then a teenager, under his wing to help him overcome his disability. He succeeded in a big way. Jim recovered to the point that today he works as an occupational therapist.
“He helps others who are paralyzed,” Steve Ilg said.
Jim Ilg didn’t stop there, taking steps such as joining a wheelchair tennis circuit.
The work Steve Ilg did lifting his brother provided a measure of self-discovery.
“I found that I like working with young adults,” said Ilg, who previously had served in the Air Force for nine years, including five as a reservist.
A new life track now on his horizon, Ilg enrolled at Oregon State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business and marketing with an education minor. Next he earned a master’s degree in education from Western Oregon University.
One of his first teaching jobs was at Union High School, where he taught shop for about four years before his position was cut due to school budget limitations. Later Ilg landed at Central High School in Independence, where he taught auto shop and other courses for 17 years before his position was again axed because of financial issues during a time when vocational programs were being cut in school districts throughout the state.
Ilg returned to Union County in 2011 and became a welding, business and yearbook teacher at La Grande High School. He taught at La Grande High two years longer than he needed to qualify for full retirement benefits.
He was inspired to stay on because the La Grande School District made a major investment in its career technical education program. This resulted in a new CTE building with state-of-the-art equipment for welding, which Ilg taught.
“I have seen vibrant rebirth” in the school’s CTE programs, Ilg said.
He noted that for the first two-thirds of his career he worked for school districts that were consistently cutting back on their CTE programs.
“It is a great honor to have these facilities,” Ilg said. “Other educators are envious of what we have.”
La Grande’s CTE programs were able to move forward thanks to funding from a $31.5 million bond voters approved in 2014.
Ilg credited the success of the upgrades to the two superintendents the school district has had during his tenure, Larry Glaze, who retired in 2017, and Superintendent George Mendoza. Ilg described both as approachable and supportive of CTE.
Ilg also lauded Scott Carpenter, the school district’s director of educational programs, who previously was the high school’s assistant principal, with playing a major role in getting the CTE upgrades in place.
“Scott did 90% of the (organizational) work,” Ilg said.
Sadly, La Grande High’s CTE facilities, like all the school district’s buildings, have been free of students since mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All classes in Oregon’s public schools were taught via distance education in March, April and May as a result. Ilg said this put enormous stress on school districts tasked by the state with developing distance education programs quickly.
“Online schools need a year to develop their programs, but (Oregon’s public schools) had to do it in two weeks,” Ilg said. “I don’t know if people understand the magnitude of the adjustments that needed to be made.”
This transition turned the world upside down not only for educators but also students. Ilg said some LHS students adapted well to it but others did not. It was surprising to see who succeeded and who struggled.
“Some top honor students were overwhelmed, but some C and D students took to it like fish to water. They loved it,” he said.
The spring closure of the high school put a particularly large amount of pressure on Ilg because he also was the yearbook teacher. The spring shutdown meant he had to do much of the work needed to complete the school’s 2020 yearbook. He said a number of students stepped up to provide major assistance, including student editor Riana Scott.
“She was one of the most outstanding editors I had in nine years,” Ilg said.
Ilg said yearbook was among his favorite classes to teach. Because of the amount of discussion involved, the class gave him a glimpse of students he normally did not see.
“You get to know kids on a different level, a more personal level,” the teacher said.
Ilg may be retired, but he is far from idle. He now devotes much of his time to doing major maintenance work on his parents’ farm in Silverton and helping his mother and father with other tasks. He plans to make return trips to La Grande where he has a home, which his daughter Katie soon will move into with her newborn son, Ilg’s first grandchild.
Ilg said he believes he is retiring at a good point, noting his younger colleagues have more energy than he does.
“It is my time,” the retiring educator said.
Larry Morrison, a retired La Grande High School science teacher who often substituted for Ilg, credited him with making a big difference in the lives of his students.
“He is very caring,” Morrison said. “He has a huge heart. He always did a lot of extra things to help his students.”
LA GRANDE — Four decades ago, Silverton High School student Steve Ilg was going nowhere in a hurry.
“I was at risk,” said Ilg, who has taught at La Grande High School the past nine years.
Ilg was getting bad grades, did not like school and was part of a crowd that shared this sentiment.
“None of my friends graduated from high school,” he said. “They all dropped out.”
Despite these bad influences, Ilg made it to his high school’s commencement stage thanks to his interest in shop classes, which drew him to school, plus an inner conviction.
“I wanted a better life for myself,” the educator said.
Ilg, who recently retired after a 32-year career as a high school business, welding, auto shop and yearbook teacher, was not sure which road would lead to a better life, but he certainly didn’t expect it to wind back to high school.
“I never thought I would be a high school teacher, not ever,” he said.
A family tragedy about a decade later changed his mind.
Ilg’s brother, Jim, 10 years his junior, was paralyzed in a traffic crash. Steve Ilg responded by taking his brother, then a teenager, under his wing to help him overcome his disability. He succeeded in a big way. Jim recovered to the point that today he works as an occupational therapist.
“He helps others who are paralyzed,” Steve Ilg said.
Jim Ilg didn’t stop there, taking steps such as joining a wheelchair tennis circuit.
The work Steve Ilg did lifting his brother provided a measure of self-discovery.
“I found that I like working with young adults,” said Ilg, who previously had served in the Air Force for nine years, including five as a reservist.
A new life track now on his horizon, Ilg enrolled at Oregon State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business and marketing with an education minor. Next he earned a master’s degree in education from Western Oregon University.
One of his first teaching jobs was at Union High School, where he taught shop for about four years before his position was cut due to school budget limitations. Later Ilg landed at Central High School in Independence, where he taught auto shop and other courses for 17 years before his position was again axed because of financial issues during a time when vocational programs were being cut in school districts throughout the state.
Ilg returned to Union County in 2011 and became a welding, business and yearbook teacher at La Grande High School. He taught at La Grande High two years longer than he needed to qualify for full retirement benefits.
He was inspired to stay on because the La Grande School District made a major investment in its career technical education program. This resulted in a new CTE building with state-of-the-art equipment for welding, which Ilg taught.
“I have seen vibrant rebirth” in the school’s CTE programs, Ilg said.
He noted that for the first two-thirds of his career he worked for school districts that were consistently cutting back on their CTE programs.
“It is a great honor to have these facilities,” Ilg said. “Other educators are envious of what we have.”
La Grande’s CTE programs were able to move forward thanks to funding from a $31.5 million bond voters approved in 2014.
Ilg credited the success of the upgrades to the two superintendents the school district has had during his tenure, Larry Glaze, who retired in 2017, and Superintendent George Mendoza. Ilg described both as approachable and supportive of CTE.
Ilg also lauded Scott Carpenter, the school district’s director of educational programs, who previously was the high school’s assistant principal, with playing a major role in getting the CTE upgrades in place.
“Scott did 90% of the (organizational) work,” Ilg said.
Sadly, La Grande High’s CTE facilities, like all the school district’s buildings, have been free of students since mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All classes in Oregon’s public schools were taught via distance education in March, April and May as a result. Ilg said this put enormous stress on school districts tasked by the state with developing distance education programs quickly.
“Online schools need a year to develop their programs, but (Oregon’s public schools) had to do it in two weeks,” Ilg said. “I don’t know if people understand the magnitude of the adjustments that needed to be made.”
This transition turned the world upside down not only for educators but also students. Ilg said some LHS students adapted well to it but others did not. It was surprising to see who succeeded and who struggled.
“Some top honor students were overwhelmed, but some C and D students took to it like fish to water. They loved it,” he said.
The spring closure of the high school put a particularly large amount of pressure on Ilg because he also was the yearbook teacher. The spring shutdown meant he had to do much of the work needed to complete the school’s 2020 yearbook. He said a number of students stepped up to provide major assistance, including student editor Riana Scott.
“She was one of the most outstanding editors I had in nine years,” Ilg said.
Ilg said yearbook was among his favorite classes to teach. Because of the amount of discussion involved, the class gave him a glimpse of students he normally did not see.
“You get to know kids on a different level, a more personal level,” the teacher said.
Ilg may be retired, but he is far from idle. He now devotes much of his time to doing major maintenance work on his parents’ farm in Silverton and helping his mother and father with other tasks. He plans to make return trips to La Grande where he has a home, which his daughter Katie soon will move into with her newborn son, Ilg’s first grandchild.
Ilg said he believes he is retiring at a good point, noting his younger colleagues have more energy than he does.
“It is my time,” the retiring educator said.
Larry Morrison, a retired La Grande High School science teacher who often substituted for Ilg, credited him with making a big difference in the lives of his students.
“He is very caring,” Morrison said. “He has a huge heart. He always did a lot of extra things to help his students.”
LA GRANDE — Four decades ago, Silverton High School student Steve Ilg was going nowhere in a hurry.
“I was at risk,” said Ilg, who has taught at La Grande High School the past nine years.
LA GRANDE — Four decades ago, Silverton High School student Steve Ilg was going nowhere in a hurry.
“I was at risk,” said Ilg, who has taught at La Grande High School the past nine years.
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