The Superintendent of Millard Public Schools is among those remembering Kiewit Middle School teacher Brett Rhodes, who was killed in a crash near 204th and F Street Saturday evening.
The 49 year old Rhodes spent 24 years in the district and had taught science at Kiewit since 2002. “Actually, Mr. Rhodes was one of the first people that I hired when I was principal at Central Middle School," superintendent Jim Sutfin says.
He says Rhodes wanted to engage with kids and "wanted to make the world a better place for them." Sutfin called Rhodes a standup guy. "Out in the hallways bumping fists, giving high-fives. He loved to hunt and fish and he'd bring in deer salami for the kids."
Sutfin says Rhodes became a student favorite in and out of the classroom. In addition to teaching, he coached several sports and made sure every student felt they had a place. "A big footprint of an individual that leaves us and we're very sad for that."
While he touched the lives of many students for 24 years, Suftin says he was devoted to his wife and three children.“Besides being a teacher, he was a husband, and he was a dad. And those are two of the most important roles we ever fill as humans.”
Crisis counselors will be on hand Monday at Kiewit to help students and staff deal with Rhodes' death.
To help his three children, the Rhodes' family has set up a GoFundMe