Former athlete, teacher, and basketball coach Bethany LaSeur

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Former New York athlete Bethany LaSeur now enjoys success as a teacher and basketball coach. Photo credit: liHerald.

Many fine educators have also enjoyed success as an athlete. One of these is Bethany LaSeur, high school teacher and coach from New York who also earned a reputation as an excellent women’s basketball player.

Bethany was born on January 6, 1983. As a youngster, she attended Garden City High School in Long Island, New York. While there, she excelled at several sports, including basketball, lacrosse, and soccer. She led the team to three Long Island Championships Twice she was named Gatorade Player of the Year for New York (2000, 2001). She also garnered the title of Miss New York Basketball in 2001. She was recognized as a Street & Smith All-American, a USA Today All-American, and once she also started in the Nike-WBCA All America Game. As if all that were not enough, she was also a member of the National Honor Society/Merit Scholar.

She earned her Bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University and her Master’s degree from Hofstra University. While there, she served as the team captain. She garnered many accolades, including Defensive Player of the Year and the Patricia E. Corace Hustle Award. Bethany was in the top ten in steals in the Big East in both her junior and senior years of college.

Today, Bethany teaches Business Education at East Meadow High School She also coaches the girls varsity basketball team. In addition, she is the Head Female Trainer for Pro Hoops, Inc., and she serves as the Directory of Female Programs for the Rising Stars Organization.

To read  more about this Chalkboard Athlete, see this interview of her published by Patch.com.

Florida teacher Kelly Peterson succumbs to Covid-19

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We are sad to report that elementary school teacher Kelly Peterson of Winter Haven, Florida, succumbed to Covid-19 on August 23, 2021. She was unable to get vaccinated because she had leukemia, which caused a compromised immune system. Photo credit: World Socialist Web Site.

We are greatly saddened to report that yet another beloved educator has succumbed to Covid-19. Kelly Peterson, an elementary school teacher in Winter Haven, Florida, passed away on August 23, 2021. She was only 41 years old.

Because she had leukemia which caused a compromised immune system, Kelly was not able to be vaccinated. Nevertheless, the teacher had been diligent in taking precautions against COVID by wearing a mask, even though Florida Governor Ronald DeSantis issued a statewide order to ban mask mandates. She also washed her hands frequently and wiped down devices and equipment when her students left each day. “She did everything she could to try to stay away from COVID,” recalled colleague Lorinda Utter.

Kelly taught fifth grade math and science at Lake Shipp Elementary School in the Polk County Public School System. According to her sister, Christin Peterson, Kelly’s career as an educator spanned more than two decades, and during that time, she had been named Teacher of the Year more than once.

“She always had former students who would come visit and tell her how much she influenced them,” remembered Christin. “If there were problem children, typically they’d end up in her classroom because she was the one who was able to break through and get through to them in a way the kids would trust her,” Christin continued. “She had a natural teaching ability that so many of her peers were in awe of. She just had the ability to connect with the kids. They knew she really did care,” Christin concluded.

To read more about Kelly Peterson, see this article about her published in The Ledger.

Author Terry Lee Marzell published in Inlandia anthology

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Author Terry Lee Marzell shows her copy of the newly-published anthology 2020 Writing from Inlandia, which contains two nonfiction pieces she has written. Photo credit: Terry Marzell

Terry Lee Marzell, author of Chalkboard Champions and Chalkboard Heroes, announces that two of her short pieces have been included in an anthology published by The Inlandia Institute. The anthology, entitled 2020 Writing Writing from Inlandia, was just released on September 2, 2021.

The first piece, “Flash Flood Casualties,” describes a true event from Terry’s life, when she was caught in a flash flood while driving through the Southern California desert. The second piece, “The Beauty in a Hundred Mundane Moments,” also nonfiction, describes a typical day in the life of individuals taking part in a community service project. Terry is among some 65 contributors to the collection, which features poetry, nonfiction, and fiction selections. The volume can be purchased on amazon.

Inlandia is a regional literary nonprofit and publishing house. The mission of the organization is to recognize, support, and expand literary activity in all of its forms in the Inland Southern California. The group is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts and in part by the California Arts Council. to learn more about the Inlandia Institute, you can visit the website at www.InlandiaInstitute.org.

Alexander Kerr Craig: Teacher, politician, Civil War vet, and

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Teacher, Civil War veteran, and member of the United States House of Representatives Alexander Kerr Craig. Photo credit: Public Domain.

Many times talented educators serve their country valiantly, and also distinguish themselves in the political arena. Such is the case with Alexander Kerr Craig, a teacher from Claysville, Pennsylvania, who also served his country as a Civil War veteran. He was also elected to the US House of Representatives.

Alexander Craig was born near Claysville, Buffalo Township in Washington County, Pennsylvania, on February 1, 1828. As a young boy, he attended local common schools and was educated by a private tutor. He was only 16 years old when he became a teacher in his community, conducting classes during the winter months. Later he worked as a principal in Claysville public schools. During these years, he also studied law and engaged in agricultural pursuits.

In February, 1865, after the Civil War broke out, Alexander enlisted on the Union side in the Eighty-Seventh Regiment, Company H, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. He was mustered in on March 13, 1865, and mustered out on June 29, 1865. After the completion of his military service, Alexander returned to his home town of Claysville, where he resumed his career as an educator by serving as a school director and the justice of the peace.

Many years later, Alexander was elected on the Democratic ticket to represent Pennsylvania in the 52nd United States Congress, where he served from February 26, 1892, until he passed away on July 29, 1892, at the age of 64. He is buried in Claysville Cemetery.

To read more about Alexander Kerr Craig, follow this link to the US House of Representatives.