In the five years between college and becoming a school counselor at South View Middle School, Paul Andress held just about every odd job imaginable. He was a youth director at a church, worked construction, worked in a pet supply warehouse, was a custodian, and even tried his hand at telegram singing for a year. He went to college in hopes of getting a degree to become a high school choir director, but quickly realized that it wasn’t in the cards for him.
“I’ve always loved music and it’s been a passion, but once I finished school, I realized that teaching [music] was not what I expected it to be. I had hoped to become a maestro and I way overestimated my abilities as a teacher,” Andress says. He tried teaching for a couple of months and says it’s the hardest job he’s ever had ,and that, to him, teaching is the grandest profession.
After his short stint in teaching, Andress applied for a counseling job at South View and has served as the eighth- and ninth-grade counselor for the past 30 years. He retired this past spring. In addition to his counseling job, Andress has also been the music director at Edina Community Lutheran Church for the past 17 years. He says it’s been a privilege to not only earn his living by working in the community but also to become a part of the community. “What I’ve enjoyed most about my role as a counselor and in the church is that Edina folks are deeply involved in their children’s education,” Andress says. “I know this is not the case everywhere, and it’s amazing to see that the community as a whole cares so much about the idea of a good education.”
In the beginning of his career, Andress says that he wasn’t necessarily equipped for a job that sometimes involves soul-searching. There was a lot of on-the-job training, and he says he learned quickly that he could improve by watching his amazing colleagues and parents who treated students with a lot of kindness and respect. As he watched great parenting and teaching by families and colleagues, he took those experiences and used them in his own work; they even helped him when he became a father.
At South View and across the district, Andress is well loved and respected, but no one seems to have as much admiration and respect for him as sixth- and seventh-grade counselor Carmine Levoir, who has worked with Andress for 19 years. “Paul has been my mentor and friend for all these years, and I have been fortunate to work alongside him for all this time. I can go on about his character for days, but I’ll just say that he’s truly an amazing person who will be missed by our entire community,” Levoir says.
For Beth Russell, South View’s longtime principal, who also announced her retirement this year, Andress’ empathy and strong belief in developing the emotional well-being of students is what made him such a success. Russell says Andress’ integrity and compassion for staff and students is the legacy he leaves behind.
To some people, retirement is daunting. But Andress and his wife Margo, who is also joining him in retirement, are excited about what the future holds, even if they’re unsure of what’s next.
“What I’m looking forward to the most is getting some sleep. I’ve been getting up at 5:30 a.m. for the past 30 years. Aside from that, Margo and I are just anxious to see what the future holds. We’ve lived great lives and have had amazing careers, and we welcome the next big transition in life because we have each other and our sons and grandchildren,” Andress says with a smile.
Note from the writer: “[Mr. Andress] was my eighth and ninth grade counselor. When I first moved to Edina in the sixth grade, I was one of few students of color and Paul was a friendly and welcoming face. He would always take the time to ask how things were going and I could always tell he genuinely cared. Paul has a really good way of making students feel special.”
