Author Archives: Terry Lee Marzell

About Terry Lee Marzell

Terry Lee Marzell holds a bachelor's degree in English from Cal State Fullerton and a master's degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Cal State San Bernardino. She also holds a certificate for Interior Design Level 1 from Mt. San Antonio College. She has been an educator in the Corona Norco Unified School District for more than 30 years.

Hawaii’s Soichi Sakamoto: Self-taught Swim Coach to Olympians

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Former sixth grade science teacher Soichi Sakamoto from Maui, Hawaii, became a swim coach to Olympic swimmers. Photo credit: Star-Bulletin

Many fine classroom teachers also earn acclaim as athletic coaches. One of these is Soichi Sakamoto, a science teacher who also became a Swim Coach to Olympian athletes.

Soichi was born on August 6, 1906. In the late 1930’s, he taught sixth grade science and health at Puunene School on the Hawaiian island of Maui. The school was built in 1922 on ten acres of land donated by the Hawaiian Commercial and Sugar Company.

At first, Soichi didn’t know anything about coaching a swim team, and his team members consisted of the children of poor sugar plantation workers. Nevertheless, the  inventive teacher established a Three-Year Swim Cub in 1937. His goal was to guide his athletes to the Olympics within three years. The indefatigable coach was able to achieve his goal of creating a team that qualified for the US Olympic team; however, the 1940 Summer Games were cancelled because of the outbreak of World War II.

To get his student athletes to their goal, the innovative coach developed a training regiment involving the use of interval training. As a form of resistance training, Soichi used area irrigation ditches to train his athletes to swim against the current. In addition, he used pulleys and weights to build upper body strength in his young swimmers, also an innovation for the times.

Eventually, Soichi became the Swim Coach at the University of Hawaii, where he served from 1946 to 1961. He also served as an Assistant Coach for the US Olympic Swim Team from 1952 to 1956. Over the course of Soichi’s career, many of his athletes competed in the Olympics, where they earned gold, silver, and bronze medals.

For his work as a swim coach, Soichi earned international accolades. He was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame, the Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame, and the American Swimming Coaches Association Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the Sports Circle of Honor at the University of Hawaii.

This superlative coach passed away on Sept. 29, 1997. He was 91 years old. To document the story of this Chalkboard Champion, a book detailing his life and career was written by Julia Checkoway. The biography, published in 2015, was entitled The Three-Year Swim Club: The Untold Story of Maui’s Sugar Ditch Kids and Their Quest for Olympic Glory. The volume is available on  Amazon.com. You could also read this 2003 article published abut him in the Star Bulletin.

Teacher Sarah Fain one of Virginia’s first women politicians

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Virginia school teacher Sarah Fain was one of the first two women elected to the Virginia House of Delegates. Photo credit: Dictionary of Virginia Biography.

Many talented educators have also earned success in the political realm. One such educator is Sarah Fain, a public school teacher from Virginia who was one of the first two women to be elected to her state’s House of Delegates.

Sarah was born on Nov. 23. 1888, in Norfolk Virginia. She was educated first at Leache-Wood Seminary. She graduated from Hemmingway High School in 19097. Following her high school graduation, Sarah taught for 12 years in elementary schools in the Norfolk public school system. During her summer breaks, she enrolled in summer courses at the University of Virginia. The university did not offer diplomas to women in her day, but still Sarah managed to earn enough credits to qualify as the equivalent of a Bachelor’s degree in Education and Administration.

When World War I broke out, Sarah volunteered for the Norfolk Red Cross, and she sold Liberty bonds to help financially support the war. When the 19th Amendment was ratified, she joined the League of Women voters and became active in Democratic Party politics. In 1923, the former teacher was elected to the House of Delegates becoming one of the two first women to serve in that political body. She served  total of three terms in the House. As a delegate, Sarah focused on issues that were important to her constituents, especially education and maritime laws. During her last term, she chaired the prestigious Committee on Schools and Colleges. In addition, she voted for an anti-lynching bill that was then the strictest in the nation.

During the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Sarah was appointed to serve in several New Deal agencies, including the National Emergency Council, where she helped establish the United States Information Service and served as its first chief. She later directed a homestead community project and supervised a rural family resettlement program.

In 1938, Sarah moved to San Marino, California, and continued to participate in local politics. It was there that she passed away on July 20, 1962. She was buried at Norfolk’s Elmwood Cemetery.

To learn more about Sarah Fain, see this article about her in the Dictionary of Virginia Biography published by the Library of Virginia.

New Mexico teacher Chris Sarmiento succumbs to Covid-19

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New Mexico teacher and coach Chris Sarmiento succumbed to Covid-19 on Feb. 19, 2021. He taught at Vista Middle School in Las Cruces. Chris was only 33 years old. Photo credit: KVIA-ABC7.

Sadly, we report that Covid-19 has claimed the life of yet another beloved educator. Chris Sarmiento, a teacher and coach from Las Cruces, New Mexico, succumbed to the disease on Feb. 19, 2021. He was only 33 years old.

Chris was born on July 17, 1987, in El Paso, Texas. As a young man, he graduated from Jefferson High School in his home town. He earned his Bachelor’s degree and teaching credential from University of Texas, El Paso.

Chris taught social studies to sixth and seventh grades at Vista Middle School. The loss of this teacher and coach will be keenly felt among his students and colleagues, asserts school Principal Mike Brewer. “He was one of those teachers that, if you needed something done, he was one of the first ones that would step up,” Brewer recalls. “It’s going to be a big loss for the Vista family.”

Chris was well-known as more than a teacher and coach to his students. He was also a role model and substitute parent. “He wanted to be a father figure for those kids that didn’t have one,” said his widow, Mary Sarmiento. Mentoring young people was a tradition in his family, she explained. “The reason why he taught is because he followed in his grandfather’s footsteps,” she said. She noted that her husband’s grandfather, Tula Irraboli, was a passionate advocate for children. In El Paso, Irraboli worked to help at-risk youth find motivation to succeed in athletics.

In addition to his responsibilities in the classroom, Chris also coached the eighth grade football team. He continued his efforts to mentor his young athletes. “He wanted to tell them it was important to be a good athlete, but also a good student,” his wife said.

Prior to teaching in Las Cruces, Sarmiento taught at Anthony High School in Texas, his wife said. He also tutored at Bowie High School in El Paso and completed his student teaching at Brown Middle School.

To read more about Chris Sarmiento, see this obituary.

Michigan’s Collene Lamonte: Science educator and politician

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Because of their finely-developed leadership skills, many teachers make excellent politicians. One of these is Collene Lamonte, a high school science educator who also served in the Michigan State House of Representatives. Photo credit: Michigan House Democrats.

Because of their finely-developed leadership skills, many classroom teachers make excellent politicians. One of these was Collene Lamonte, a high school math and science educator who also served in the Michigan State House of Representatives.

Collene was raised in a working-class family in Macomb County’s New Baltimore, a suburb north of Detroit. Her father owned and operated Schmid Marina on Anchor Bay of Lake St. Clair, a 300-slip seasonal facility.

Collene earned her Bachelor’s degree in General Science Education, with a minor in Mathematics, from Saginaw Valley Sate University. This institution of higher learning is a public university located in University Center, Michigan. It was founded in 1963 as Saginaw Valley College. During her college years, Colleen was named to both the President’s and the Dean’s List; in fact, she graduated summa cum laude. In addition, she was a member of the Alpha Chi National College Honor Scholarship Society.

After she earned her degree, Collene taught high school physics and physical science in Muskegon Public Schools from 2007 to 2012, a total of five years. There she developed a hands-on, inquiry-based program with projects, experiments, activities, and research assignments that were designed to stimulate critical thinking skills. Through her instructional program, the innovative teacher improved test scores and student performance on state standardized tests.

In 2012, the former teacher was elected on the Democratic ticket to the Michigan State House of Representatives. There she served the 91st District from 2013 to 2014.. Her committee assignments included the Education Committee, Energy and Technology, and Financial Services.

Today, Collene works as a Field Services Representative for MESSA, the Michigan Education Special Services Association located in East Lansing, Michigan. She has worked in this capacity since 2018.

To learn more about Collene, see her website at Michigan House Democrats.