Written by Charlie Palmer, CHS 2024
Omaha Central bids a heartfelt farewell to International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP), Advanced Placement (AP), and Dual Enrollment (DE) Coordinator, Cathy Andrus, who is retiring after 25 years of unwavering commitment to Eagle education. Andrus was born in Brooklyn, New York, at the Brooklyn Jewish Community Hospital. Andrus attended public school in first grade after her parents moved to Long Island. After previously attending a small private preschool, her transition to public school began with a challenging adjustment. She recalls sitting in a reading circle, “The teacher would hold up these cards that had squiggles on them. Everybody knew what the squiggles meant except for me, it was reading, and I didn’t understand what was going on. Anyways, it was a really hard adjustment.” Eventually, she overcame this challenge by learning to read and became an avid reader for the rest of her life.
Andrus went on to attend Balwin Senior High School for grades 10-12. With a student body of 2,100, she thrived as an active participant in choir, orchestra, band, Boy Scouts, academics, and many other extracurriculars. She was the president of a High Adventure Explorer post and served on the Boy Scouts National Committee. Additionally, Andrus was the first girl drum major and the first girl on the rifle team at Baldwin. She filled her schedule with classes and activities she enjoyed, “High school had a huge influence on me. I never had a lunch period or a study hall in high school. I didn’t mind though; I was happy with what I was doing.”
After graduating, Andrus wanted to go to college far away from her home. She attended SUNY Geneseo for one year and then transferred to BYU without having a prior visit on campus. After graduating from BYU, Andrus got married and started a family with her husband. She taught for a couple of years while he was in law school. Her husband was the first person from his university to get a law degree and a library science degree. Shortly after, they moved several times across the country in the pursuit of expanding their careers. She explains, “We climbed that ladder. We started at Oklahoma City University where he worked in the law library, then Southern Methodist University, Southern Illinois University, and Northwestern University. From there, we settled here in Omaha after my husband was hired at Creighton University as the director of the law library.”
Andrus taught at Millard Public Schools for seven years and earned a counseling degree along the way. She had only visited Central once, in the basement for a forensics tournament that her daughter competed in. When she was looking for a job at OPS, she interviewed at Central and was hired the same day.
For years at Central, Andrus has been instrumental in shaping the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP), along with coordinating the Advanced Placement (AP) and Dual Enrollment (DE) programs. Her tireless efforts in nurturing students’ academic and personal growth have been evident in the successes of her students.
Family plays a very important role in Andrus’ life, “I would say in our life, it goes God first, family, and then all of the other things after that.” She has two daughters who are both married and have children, making her a grandmother of six.
“My goal as a parent is to provide as many opportunities to my children as I can. Although, they earned a lot of their opportunities on their own, so that made them very independent and global thinkers. My girls would have thrived if they went to Central.”
One of Andrus’ favorite parts about Central is its diversity and inclusivity, “We have a diverse population at Central, and sometimes that puts up walls between people in other places, but I don’t feel that here. It all crosses over and there are no boundaries; I love the inclusivity here at Central.”
Andrus is also grateful for Central’s supportive outside community, “I love our traditions and history; it is important to not rest on our laurels but constantly strive to meet the expectations of our outside community. I think the outside community has a very positive outlook on Central. It is always important to be striving to be deserving for as good of a reputation as people before us have created over generations.”
Andrus plans to spend more time with her family after retirement while also staying active in the Central community. She expresses, “Our family is basically spread between Salt Lake City, Long Island, and Florida, and so none of those are go-for-a-day trip places. I want to spend more time with my family, but I also really want to stay connected with Central. I plan to show up periodically doing different things, maybe some subbing or even special projects.” This past spring break, Andrus travelled with nine IB students to Prague to volunteer and gain a wider global perspective. She alluded toward a similar trip next year, “I want to travel the world, but I really like traveling with students. I’m debating whether to do another CAS Trip this spring break, not Prague this time but maybe Edinburgh, Scotland.”
