Tag Archives: Secondary Teachers

Ruby Fukiko Nakahara, chemistry teacher, succumbs to Covid-19

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Ruby Fukiko Nakahara, a former high school chemistry teacher who worked in Hawaii, California, and Germany, succumbed to Covid-19 on Feb. 3, 2021. Photo credit: Legacy.com.

With great sadness we report that Covid-19 has claimed the life of Ruby Fukiko Nakahara, a former high school chemistry teacher originally from Hawaii. She succumbed to the disease on Feb. 3, 2021. She was 83 years old.

Ruby, whose grandparents were Japanese immigrants, was born in Honolulu in 1937 She was raised in Hawaii in the days before statehood was declared in 1959. Her mother died when she was just 12 years old, and Ruby was raised by an aunt.

As a young woman, Ruby graduated from McKinley High School in Oahu. Following her graduation, she put herself through college, earning a Master’s degree in Chemistry and a teaching credential from the University of Hawaii. Later she earned a scholarship to Oregon State University in Corvallis, where she earned a second Master’s degree.

Once she earned her degree, Ruby taught for several years at a junior high school in Kaimuki, a small, quaint neighborhood in Honolulu. When she was 24 years old, she relocated to Palo Alto, California, where she was able to find a better teaching position at Palo Alto High School in Palo alto, California. In 1970, Ruby accepted a position to teach children in a US military base in Kaiser-Slautern, Germany. There she met Masaru Nakahara, who was working as an engineer for Hughes Aircraft. The pair were married in a small ceremony in Basil Switzerland.

Two years later, the couple returned to the United States, landing first in Massachusetts and then settling in Southern California. Over the next five decades, the veteran teacher did some substitute teaching, but health problems prevented her from going back to the classroom full-time.

Sadly, Ruby Fukiko Nakahara succumbed to Covid-19 on Feb. 3, 2021. Her ashes will be scatteredin Hawaii when travel restrictions are loosened. To read more about her, see this online obituary.

New York teacher Ntina Paleos-Stemas succumbs to Covid-19

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Sadly, beloved New York English teacher Ntina Paleos-Stemas succumbed to Covid-19 on Jan. 30, 2021. Photo credit: www.liherald.com.

Sadly, we report that yet another beloved educator has succumbed to Covid-19. Ntina Paleos-Stemas, a high school Enbglish teacher from New York, succumbed to the disease on January 30, 2021. She was 55 years old.

Ntina was originally from Greece, but she was raised in Baldwin, New York. As a young girl, she graduated from Baldwin High School. Ntina discovered her passion for teaching at schools in Switzerland and Argentina. She then accepted a teaching position in the Hewlitt-Woodmere Public School District in 1998. In that district, she taught first at the Franklin Early Childhood Center, then at Ogden Elementary School, and then at Woodmere Middle School before finally landing at Hewlett High School, where she taught for the last 22 years.

Fluent in several languages, including English, Greek, Spanish, and French, Ntina helped establish the district’s first English as a Second Language summer program. She taught academics and exposed the students to the culture of a world languages through educational trips.

Ntina will be sorely missed by both colleagues and students. “She dedicated her career to our ENL families, and was well-known for her caring, compassionate teaching style and staunch advocacy for her cherished students,” recalled Hewlitt-Woodmere Superintendent Marino. “Ms. Paleos-Stemas’ love for her students extended far beyond the halls of Hewlett-Woodmere, as she remained in contact with them for many years after graduation.”

Fellow teacher Caryn Bachar agreed. She remembered that Ntina was a positive and supportive force in the lives of her students. “Ntina dedicated her career to educating English Language Learners and advocated for them in school and in their lives,” Bachar said. “Many of her students stayed in touch with her long after graduation. She was invited to their graduations, weddings, and the births of their children.”

When not in the classroom, Ntina loved to spend her time with her children, family members, and friends. She also loved to travel to experience other cultures, and spent much time in her native homeland of Greece.

To read more about Ntina, see this obituary published by liherald.com.

Glenna Fouberg: Known in South Dakota as “Mrs. Education”

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South Dakota educator Glenna Fouberg, 1994 State Teacher of the Year, was known throughout her state as “Mrs. Education.” Photo credit: South Dakota Hall of Fame.

Very few teachers are so accomplished they become renowned throughout their state, but one who did was Glenna Fouberg of South Dakota. In fact, Glenna was known as Mrs. Education in her state.

Glenna was born Sept. 1, 1942, in Aberdeen, South Dakota. She was raised in Ashley, North Dakota, and graduated from Ashley High School in 1960. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education in 1963 from Northern State Teachers College and her Master’s degree in Counseling from South Dakota State University in 1968.

Glenna inaugurated her career as a teacher at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska. She also taught in the South Dakota cities of Sisseton, Bristol, Webster, and Aberdeen. Throughout her lengthy career, she was known as a teacher with a commitment to helping students on the margins of the state’s education system. The last 13 years of her career she was director of the Alternative Learning Center in Aberdeen. At the Alternative Learning Center she extended services to middle school students, those at the Juvenile Detention Center, and those at the New Beginnings Center, a home for at-risk youth. She also mentored other school districts in the creation of similar centers.

This exemplary educator served 19 years on the South Dakota Board of Education, four of them as its president. She also chaired the Indian Education Advisory Board for ten years, and she helped established both the annual Indian Education Summit and the South Dakota Teacher Summit. Under her leadership, Teach for America was brought to the state, and through that program many teachers were placed on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. For her work in the field of education, Glenna was recognized as South Dakota’s Teacher of the Year in 1994. In all, this amazing teacher spent 38 years in the profession.

Sadly, this amazing educator succumbed to Covid-19 in her home town of Aberdeen on Jan. 5, 2021. She was 78 years old. To read more about this Chalkboard Champion, see this article about her published by the South Dakota Hall of Fame.

Art, music teacher Melinda Roellig succumbs to Covid-19

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Melinda Roellig, a teacher of art and music in Sellersbug, Indiana, succumbed to Covid-19 on November 15, 2020.

With great sadness we report that Covid-19 has claimed the life of yet another beloved educator. Melinda Roellig, an art and music teacher from Sellersburg, Indiana, succumbed to the disease on November 15, 2020. She was just 37 years old.

Melinda was born on December 6, 1982, in Scotland, where her father was stationed with the US Navy. As a teen, Melinda attended Jefferson High School, where she played the trumpet and participated in marching band. She also played the trombone and the French horn. The talented future educator also showed an aptitude for art, specifically painting.

After she graduated from, Melinda attended the University of Louisville where she majored in music. She earned her degree in 2006. While still in college, Melinda decided she wanted to become a teacher of art and music.

When she lost her teaching position at the public school due to budget cuts, Melinda applied for a post at Rock Creek Community Academy, a new K-12 charter school in nearby Sellersburg that did not have a music program. But Principal Sara Hauselman hired her to teach art. Melinda taught there for ten years.

“You can’t say this about very many teachers — nobody’s perfect, everybody doesn’t do everything right — but I never saw a kid that did not want to be in her class and didn’t love it once they got in it,” Hauselman said. “Whatever they could do, she just would encourage them.”

To read more about this remarkable teacher, see this obituary published by NBC News.

CA teacher Melissa Rojas earns a Staples “Thank a Teacher” Award

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California teacher Melissa Rojas is one of 20 educators nationwide who has earned a 2020 Staples “Thank a Teacher Award.” (Photo Credit: Fontana Herald News)

Congratulations go to Melissa Rojas, an English teacher at Fontana High School in Fontana, California. She is one of 20 educators that have been named a recipient of a 2020 Staples “Thank a Teacher” Award.

Melissa was singled out for the recognition because of her outstanding work with graduating seniors in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. She wanted to do something special for her students, who lost out on the two most memorable experiences of the their senior year: Prom and commencement. “Senior year is a crucial time for students,” Melissa asserted. “It broke my heart that my seniors couldn’t attend prom. I wanted to do what i could to let them know they are amazing kids who deserve to have great memories of their senior year,” she continued.

For their prom, Melissa contacted a local candy maker who prepared gifts of chocolate-dipped strawberries, some created to resemble a prom dress and others created to imitate a tuxedo. Then she spent the day with members of her family delivering the treats to the homes of her students. For their commencement, Melissa delivered gift bags containing personalized water bottles and inscribed with inspirational messages.

As part of the recognition from the Staples “Thank a Teacher” Program, Melissa will receive $5,000 to spend on supplies for her classroom. The office supplies store is happy to provide the cash awards to the recipients. “Staples knows that teachers will need our support more than ever — whether they’re teaching in the classroom, remotely or a combination of both,” remarked Mike Motz, Chief Executive Officer of Staples US Retail.

For more information about this Chalkboard Champion, see this link at the Daily Bulletin.