Category Archives: Education

Educator Harriet Byrd served in both Wyoming’s House of Reps and State Senate

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Elementary school teacher Harriet Byrd served in both the Wyoming State House of Representatives and State Senate. Photo credit: Townsquare Media

Many dedicated educators have also served as excellent politicians. One of these is Harriet Elizabeth Byrd, an elementary school teacher from Cheyenne, Wyoming. She served in both her state’s House of Representatives and Senate.

Harriet was born on April 20, 1926, in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Her father was a mechanic for the Union Pacific Railroad, and her mother was a homemaker. As a young girl, Harriet attended Cheyenne High School, where she graduated in 1944. Three years later she married James W. Byrd. The union produced three children.

In 1949, Harriet earned her Bachelor’s degree in Education from West Virginia State College, a historically Black college located in Institute, West Virginia. Once she earned her degree, the neophyte teacher returned to Wyoming to apply for a teaching position with the Laramie County School District. Unfortunately, she was denied the position because she was Black.

Fortunately, Harriet was hired as a civilian instructor for the Department of Administrative Services at F. E. Warren air Force Base in Wyoming. She taught there for ten years. In 1959, administrators at Laramie School District reversed their earlier stance and gave Harriet a job as an elementary school teacher. She taught in that district for 27 years. In 1976, the veteran educator completed the requirements for her Master’s degree at the University of Wyoming.

In 1980, Harriet was elected to the Wyoming House of Representatives on the Democratic ticket. There she represented the 44th Assembly District until 1988. She also served in the Wyoming State Senate, representing the 8th Senate District from 1988 to 1992. In fact, the former teacher was the first African American to serve in both houses. While in the legislature, Harriet worked to improve child safety laws, social services programs for adults, and improved conditions for the handicapped. She also worked to create a state holiday to honor Martin Luther King.

Harriet was also active in a number of professional organizations. She was a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the National Education Association, the Wyoming Education Association, the American Legion Auxiliary in Cheyenne, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. She was a past president of the Search Light Club, the oldest African American women’s club in Wyoming.

This amazing Chalkboard Champion passed away on January 27, 2015, at her home in Cheyenne, Wyoming. She was 88 years old. To read more about her, check out this link  created by the University of Wyoming.

Science teacher Micah Depper of Maine garners Milken Educator Award

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Middle school science teacher Micah Depper of Maine has garnered a prestigious Milken Educator Award for 2024-2025. Photo credit: Milken Educator Awards

It is always a pleasure for me to share the story about a talented educator who has earned recognition for his work in the classroom. One of these is Micah Depper, a junior high school school science teacher from Maine who has garnered a prestigious Milken Educator Award for 2024-2025. He is one of only 45 educators to be so honored this year.

Micah teaches courses in science to seventh grade students at Bath Middle School located in Bath, Maine. There he promotes learning through an inquiry-based lessons which cover such topics as biological evolution, metabolism, contact forces, bacterial resistance, genetics, climate resilience, ecosystems, and invasive species.

In addition to his science courses, Micah offers students instruction in electronic music production so students to explore their interest in music. His group is known on campus was Depper’s BMS Rock Band, and is comprised of an eight-week music club that includes students with little to no musical experience. Participants learn how to play an instrument and perform at school assemblies and the school play.

What motivates Micah to work so hard? “Kids. I love working with kids,” he declares. “It’s a really hard job and it’s a job where you are constantly on the wheel, and you have to be prepared every day to be on for seven hours and make sure your lesson is tight, but you are also building community and emotional support for your students and colleagues,” he continues.

Micah earned his Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon, in 2010. He earned his Master’s degree in Environmental Studies at Antioch University in 2013.

The Milken Educator Awards have been described by Teacher Magazine as the “Oscars of Teaching.” In addition to the $25,000 cash prize and public recognition, the award includes membership in the National Milken Educator Network, a group of more than 2,700 exemplary teachers, principals, and specialists from all over the country whose work strengthens best practices in education. To learn more, click on Milken Educator Awards.

During Women’s History Month, we recognize Utah educator Eurithe LaBarthe

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High school teacher and principal Eurithe LaBarthe served in the Utah State House of Representatives. Photo credit: Better Days 2020

Many hardworking educators are also accomplished politicians. One of these was Eurithe LaBarthe, a high school teacher and principal who also served as a state legislator in her state. She was a proponent of gender equality, a prominent clubwoman, a literary leader, and one of Utah’s first women legislators.

Eurithe was born in 1845 in Peoria, Illinois. As a young woman, she worked as a high school teacher and principal in Colorado Springs, Colorado. After her marriage to Jules LaBarthe on July 10, 1873, the couple moved to Salt Lake City, Utah. That was in 1892. Although she was not a Mormon in a predominantly Mormon community, the newcomer quickly established herself as an influential clubwoman.

In 1896, Eurithe she elected President of the Ladies’ Literary Club and managed the official club building for that organization. The Literary Club provided higher education at a time when it was not readily available to women. Initially, the organization focused primarily on history, but eventually they branched out into other topics such as poetry, art, and politics. The society was heavily involved in charity work and later helped pass a bill for the first free library in Utah. The club also purchased 2,000 books in order to help start the library.

The same year, Eurithe was elected on the Democratic ticket to Utah State House of Representatives. That year was the first election in which women could run for office in the newly-formed state. She was one of two women elected to the inaugural state legislature on Nov. 3, 1896. Her term began in Jan., 1897, and continued to Jan., 1899. While serving there, Eurithe was named the Chair of the Education Committee. Additionally, she drafted a letter to Congress requesting that the Federal Industrial Home, which was originally built as a refuge from polygamy but had stood empty for several years, be granted to the state for educational or charitable purposes. The former teacher advanced the cause of gender equality by actively engaging in the political processes of her state and by paving the way for future women lawmakers.

In addition to her work as a politician, Eurithe worked to establish the Utah State Historical society. Later she moved to Denver, where she became involved in women’s club work, serving as Treasurer and as Chair of the Finance Committee for the Woman’s Club, an organization of over 1000 members.

Sadly, while visiting her son in Salt Lake City, Eurithe contracted pneumonia and succumbed to the disease on Nov. 22, 1910. She was buried in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Lydia Aholo taught Native Hawaiian students their traditional language

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Lydia Kaonohiponiponiokalani Aholo taught traditional language to Native Hawaiian students. Photo Credit: Kamehameha Schools Archives

I always enjoy sharing stories about educators who have worked with indigenous groups of students. One of these educators was Lydia Kaonohiponiponiokalani Aholo, a Native Hawaiian teacher who taught aspects of the traditional culture to other indigenous Hawaiian students.

Lydia was born on February 6, 1878, in the little town of Lahaina on the island of Maui. She was the third child born to mother Keahi Aholo, who died when Lydia was only six years old, and father Luther Aholo, the Secretary to John Owen Dominis, who was serving as the Governor of Maui at the time. Dominis was the husband of Queen Liliuokalani, the last reigning monarch of the Hawaiian Islands. The royal adopted Lydia, even over the strong objections of her husband and other members of her family.

As a young girl, Lydia attended first Kawaiahao Female Seminary, and then Kamehameha School, a private school for Native Hawaiian girls. In fact, she was a member of the first graduating class for girls in 1897. She then studied Music and Secretarial Sciences at Oberlin College, a private liberal arts college and conservatory of music located in Oberlin, Ohio.

Once she returned to the Islands, Lydia accepted a teaching position at her alma mater, Kamehameha School for Girls. She worked under Principal Ida May Pope. There Lydia taught the Hawaiian language. As a teacher, former students and family members described her as very strict about matters of etiquette and the proper way to conduct oneself in public. In addition to her classroom responsibilities, Lydia performed secretarial services as a stenographer and accountant, and she also worked for the Hawaiian Homes Commission and for the Federal Credit Union as a Secretary-Treasurer. She retired from the teaching profession at the age of 75.

All of her life, Lydia’s talent for. music was well-known, particularly in the area of traditional Hawaiian songs. She served as a mentor to her grand-nephew, Alfred Apaka, Jr, and instructed him in the proper enunciation, phrasing, and interpretation of traditional Hawaiian songs. In addition she became the Director of the Liahona Glee Club, which had been organized in the 1920s.

Lydia Aholo never married or had children of her own. She passed away on July 7, 1979. She was 101 years old. She is interred at Nuuanu Memorial Park. To learn more about this Chalkboard Champion, see this link to Kaiwakiloumoku Indigenous Institute.

Educator Cornelius Salisbury earned renown as a painter

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Educator Cornelius Salisbury earned renown as a painter. Photo credit: University of Utah

Many fine educators have distinguished themselves in fields outside of education. One of these is Cornelius Salisbury, a public school teacher from Salt Lake City, Utah, who has also earned renown as an artist.

Cornelius was born on December 31, 1882, in Richfield in central Utah. He earned his college degrees at the University of Utah and at Brigham Young University. He also refined his artistic skills extensive, training at the Art Students League of New York, the Pratt Institute of New York City, the Broadmoor Art Academy in Colorado Springs, and the Corcoran Museum of Art in Washington, DC.

Cornelius earned fame as a painter of landscapes of his native state, pioneer homes, and historical figures from the Old West. He served as the president of Associated Utah Artists, and was a member of the Utah Historical Society.

Cornelius taught school in Salt Lake City until 1943. He taught at Lewis Junior High in Ogden from 1920 to 1924, at Jordan Junior High from 1925 to 1927, and at West High School from 1928 to 1943. He is so highly respected in Utah that his work is on display at many public school throughout the state. Some of his pieces also hang in the Springville Museum of Art.

This amazing educator passed away on Oct. 9, 1970, in Salt Lake City. He was 87 years old. He is interred at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park, Millcreek, Salt Lake, Utah. To read more about this amazing educator, click on this link to his biography compiled by the University of Utah.