Here is a four-minute YouTube video which celebrates the work of two amazing educators in San Antonio, Texas. The first is Lacy Greco, a fourth grade teacher at Benjamin Franklin Elementary School. The second is Krystal McEwen, a Special Education teacher at Bonnie Ellison Elementary School. Both exceptional educators were honored as 2019 Elementary Teachers of the Year for Northside Independent School District located in Leon Valley, a suburb of San Antonio, Texas.
Teacher and suffragist Emily Burton Ketcham. Photo credit: Grand Rapids History and Special Collections (GRHSC), Archives, GRPL, GR, Michigan.
Dedicated educators often become involved in movements that benefit society as a whole. One of these is Emily Burton Ketcham, a school teacher who was active in the struggle to secure the right to vote for women.
Emily was born on July 16, 1838, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Her parents were Josiah and Eliza (Freeman) Burton. As a young girl, Emily attended first Mary B. Allen’s School for Girls and then Henrietta Academy. She earned her degree from St. Mark’s College, a private theological institution located in Grand Rapids. When she was only 15 years old, Emily became a school teacher.
Emily’s work in the suffrage movement began in 1873. She became active in the initial effort to remove gender as a qualification for voting in Michigan. Later, Emily met with suffragist movement leaders Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, and by the 1890’s had developed long-lasting professional relationships with them.
Emily was heavily involved in many community improvement groups. She was a member of the Grand Rapids Woman’s Suffrage Association, the Political Equality Club, the Susan B. Anthony Club, the Woman’s Civic League, and the Woman’s and Children’s Protective League. She was a charter member of the Michigan Equal Suffrage Association, she would serve as its president from 1892-1893, and again in 1900.
As part of her work as a suffragist, Emily was a featured speaker at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. Due to Emily’s indefatigable work and outstanding organizational skills, Stanton and Anthony brought the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) to Grand Rapids for its annual convention in 1899.
This amazing Chalkboard Champion passed away on January 13, 1907, in Detroit, Michigan. She was 68 years old. She is interred at Rosedale Memorial Park in Tallmadge, Ottawa County, Michigan.
To honor her work as a suffragist and educator, Emily Burton Ketcham was inducted into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame in 1999. To read more about Emily, see her page on the website for the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame.
Angela Quitasol, a seventh-grade science teacher from Stockton, California, perished in The Conception diving boat accident on Labor Day.
For the second time this week, the educational community is mourning the loss of not one, but two, valued members of the profession. Both perished on board the commercial diving boat, The Conception. On Labor Day, the boat caught fire and sank off the coast of Santa Cruz Island in California.
Angela Quitasol, a seventh-grade science teacher from Stockton, California, was killed in the accident. Angela’s two sisters, her father, and her stepmother were also among the 34 total individuals lost.
Angela grew up in Stockton, California. As a young girl, she attended Sierra Middle School in the Lincoln Unified School District. After earning her teaching degree, she returned to her home town. There she accepted a teaching position at her alma mater. She taught there for four years.
“For Angela, students were her focus,” recalled Patty Kelley, Executive Assistant to the Superintendent. “She shared her passion for science with them and greeted them every day with a high five and a bright smile.” Angela was just 28 years old.
High school physics teacher Raymond “Scott” Chan of Fremont, California, was also killed in the diving boat fire.
The other educator lost in the accident was Raymond “Scott” Chan, a high school science teacher from Los Altos, California. Scott had just begun his third year of teaching Advanced Placement Physics at American High School in the Fremont Unified School District. He was 59 years old. Also lost was his 26-year-old daughter, Kendra, a marine biologist.
Scott worked as an electrical engineer in Silicon Valley for 20 years before going into the teaching profession. He earned both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Stanford University. He earned his teaching credential from Santa Clara University. Before coming to Fremont, Scott taught at Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo, Carlmont High School in Belmont, and Cupertino High School in Cupertino.
“His students knew him to be an innovative and inspiring teacher who developed a passion for physics among his students,” reads a statement from officials of Fremont Schools. “His loss is a tremendous tragedy for our school district.”
Scott’s former student Connor Vo agrees. “Definitely one of my favorite teachers,” the young man said. “Physics is really hard for people, but I think he tried to make it interesting for everyone. I don’t know, I just like teachers that try their best and really care about their students,” Connor concluded.
We will miss you, Angela and Scott.
Read more about the tragic accident at this online website for ABC 7 News.
Elsie Ritchie: Retired high school drama teacher and former Hollywood actress.
Many talented classroom teachers have also distinguished themselves in endeavors outside of the classroom. One of these was Elsie Ritchie, an English and drama teacher who was also a film actress from the 1970’s.
Elsie was the sister of Hollywood director Michael Ritchie. When she was a young woman, she portrayed roles in two movies he directed, including The Candidate in 1972 and Smile in 1975. Elsie nurtured her love for acting since she was a child. As a youngster, she participated in many local community theater productions.
After her graduation from Berkeley High School, Elsie studied classical languages and art history at UC Berkeley, where she earned her degree. It made sense that she should choose Berkeley, since her father, Dr. Benbow Ritchie, was a professor there.
After her brief career in Hollywood, Elsie accepted a position as a high school English teacher at Aragon High School located in San Mateo, California. Her career as an educator spanned 22 years. During this time, she also worked tirelessly as the school’s drama teacher.
Once she retired, Elsie settled in Redding, California, where she lived since 2013. There Elsie returned to her childhood passion for community theater. She performed in productions of Romeo & Juliet, You Can’t Take It With You, The Nutcracker, The Dixie Swim Club, and Harvey. She also directed a production of The Gin Game at Redding’s Riverfront Playhouse. Written by D. Coburn, the play garnered a Pulitzer Prize in 1978. In addition to her work as an actress and director, Elsie led a local actors’ monologue workshop.
Sadly, Elsie passed away on November 7, 2018. She was 65 years old. To read more about this amazing educator, actress, and director, see the article published in the Record Searchlight entitled Bucket List gives actors crack at dream roles.
Former teacher and noise pop musician Alexis Krauss of the band Sleigh Bells.
There are many talented individuals in the entertainment industry who have also served as classroom teachers. One of these is Alexis Krauss, a singer and songwriter who from the noise pop duo called Sleigh Bells.
Alexis was born Sydney Alexis Krauss on September 27, 1985. Her father is a professional musician and her mother is a registered nurse.
As a young child, Alexis studied music and performed in numerous musical theater productions. When she became a teenager, she sang lead vocals and played the bass guitar in an all-girl band. The group recorded two singles and even produced an unreleased album.
Once she graduated from high school, Alexis enrolled in college at first Marymount Manhattan College, and then Pace University. She majored in political science, and then she decided to go into teaching. “I was studying poli sci and international studies and was doing a lot of research on the right to education and children’s education,” Alexis once revealed. “I ended up joining Teach for America. I taught for two years in the south Bronx, and that was one of the most, probably the most, rewarding and challenging things I’ve ever done,” she expressed.
It was through the Teach for America program that Alexis met Derek Miller, and the two launched their careers in the music business together. They formed a noise pop duo and named themselves Sleigh Bells. The pair has released five albums together.
In addition to music, Alexis is an advocate for clean personal care products. She co-founded a website dedicated to educating consumers about the ingredients used in personal care products. The website is called Beauty Lies Truth.
Rock on Alexis.
