DICK AND DIANE BUYSSE AND ANDY AND JACKIE BUYSSE BOOST THE ATHLETIC COMPLEX FUNDRAISING WITH JOINT $50,000 GIFT
WEST LIBERTY, IA – In a major boost to fundraising, Dick and Diane Buysse and their son, Andy with wife Jackie, are donating $50,000 to the new athletic complex. Dick and Diane have lived in West Liberty since 1970 and have eight kids who graduated from West Liberty along with six of their spouses. They also have 22 grandchildren and all but one graduated from West Liberty or attended school in the district at some point. Andy and Jackie are both West Liberty graduates and have three girls in the district – Brooklyn, age 17, Sophie, age 16, and Madi, age 13.
“In the fall of 1969 we learned the farm we were renting near Geneseo had been sold and we needed to move,” said Diane. “The farm manager had a farm near West Liberty and asked us to look at it. As soon as we drove down Calhoun Street, we knew we would love it here. The tree-lined streets with all the beautiful homes reminded us of Geneseo and a Catholic church, a swimming pool, and girls’ sports were all plusses. At the time we had five little girls under the age of six. We moved here in March 1970 and never looked back.”
Andy is the youngest of the eight Buysse children and grew up on the family farm just outside of town northeast of West Liberty. After graduating college, he and Jackie moved out of state for work, but returned to West Liberty when they had kids. He and Jackie now live on her family farm north of town and farm in addition to owning the local Pioneer Seed distributorship. He said the main reason for moving back was to raise their kids here and put them in the West Liberty district.
“Jackie and I enjoyed going to school here and we feel there are a lot of benefits,” said Andy. “We like that kids can do a lot of different activities. In a smaller district, they can play multiple sports and still do music, FFA, and other extra-curriculars.”
Jackie is a teacher for West Liberty and said she sees several benefits for kids who participate in extra-curricular activities.
“Students who have activities outside of school learn to multi-task and keep a disciplined schedule,” said Jackie. “They learn to work towards a common goal as a team. In a small district, every kid has a chance to participate.”
Including Jackie, the Buysse family has six educators employed by the district and one school nurse.
“The Buysse family is a critical part of our success as a district,” said Superintendent Shaun Kruger. “They are highly qualified, long-term teachers and staff. Dick and Diane have a wonderful family, and their support for this infrastructure project, along with Andy and Jackie, is huge. All the $50,000 sponsorship levels have gone to families, and I think that says a ton about the community of West Liberty. I can’t imagine a better place to be Superintendent.”
The Buysses are putting their sponsorship towards the new weight room. It will be constructed in the new indoor facility and will be significantly larger in size than the current weight room.
“We need a new weight room in the worst way,” said Activities Director, Adam Loria. “We are way over capacity and that becomes a safety risk. We have nice equipment and a good training program, but we don’t have enough room for all the kids. We can’t grow our training and lifting program with our current set up. I am thrilled the Buysses are helping us out with this. It will have a huge impact and I can’t thank these two families enough.”
Andy said they selected the weight room because it will be used by male and female students and all sports. He also said the new complex will be a huge asset to the community and bring more families to town.
“Our girls will only get to use these facilities for a short time, but we still feel this is critical for West Liberty,” said Andy. “The new complex will be attractive to families looking at districts in this area.”
Dick and Diane agree and feel the district has a lot to offer that gives the school a competitive advantage.
“We feel the dual language program here is very beneficial,” said Diane. “Many of our grandkids have been able to advance their Spanish skills at a college level. The new ELC building and the Athletic Complex are huge assets to our whole community.”
The first phase of the project went to bid in August and the plan is to break ground sometime in September. Construction is currently on track for completion of the outdoor facilities by fall of 2023. West Liberty has several state-qualifying sports and award-winning fine arts programs. Jackie says it’s time to give the students a boost.
“Our students work very hard at their extra-curricular activities,” said Jackie. “They have done well, and they deserve this. This is going to be a great sense of pride for them and it’s time for West Liberty to be at the top.”
Contacts:
Shaun Kruger, West Liberty Superintendent 319-627-2116
Adam Loria, West Liberty Activities Director 319-627-2116