Tag Archives: Secondary Teachers

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.

High school English teacher and author Frederick Houk Law

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High school English teacher and widely-published author Frederick Houk Law. Photo credit: Garrison House Ephemera

Many talented classroom teachers have also earned fame in areas other than education. One of these was Frederick Houk Law, a New York teacher who also earned acclaim as an author.

Frederick was born on September 7, 1871, in New York.

Frederick taught courses in English at Stuyvesant High School n New York. Throughout his life, the accomplished educator traveled widely, treking across Europe on bicycle, touring the African continent from Cape Town to Cairo, and exploring the interior of British Guiana.

This intrepid teacher wrote essays, reference works, biographies, textbooks, and other nonfiction books. In all, he published 102 works in 277 publications. The volume most often found in library collections is his Mastery of Speech: A Course In Eight Parts, published in 1918. His How To Write And How To Deliver An Oration published in 1926 is also frequently found in libraries.

Frederick also wrote plays, children’s tales, legends, and short stories for pulp fiction magazines such as Munsey’s. The periodical advertised itself as “a magazine of the people and for the people, with pictures and art and good cheer and human interest throughout.” The teacher’s most famous fiction work was The Heart of Sindhra: A Novel, published in 1898. The novel is set in 19th-century northern India, and relates the story of a revolutionary force that derives its inspiration from wisdom and treasure emanating from a lost world in the mountains.

This talented educator and gifted author passed away in his home state of New York on his birthday, September 7, in 1957.

See this link for a list of books by Frederick Houk Law that are available on amazon.

Two Georgia teachers become internet sensations

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Although it has been a few months since two teachers Georgia were featured on an episode of Good Morning America (GMA), I just stumbled across this story on You Tube today. The story of these colleagues, who have since become internet sensations, is so inspirational, I wanted to share it with you today.

The teachers, Audrianna Williams and Callie Evans, work at Monroe Comprehensive High School in Atlanta. Last August, these Chalkboard Champions created a rap video for their students to generate enthusiasm for a new year of online learning. The video was a remake of the song “What’s Poppin’,” originally penned by rap star Jack Harlow.

When Audrianna and Callie were interviewed on Good Morning America, they were surprised by a greeting from the rapper. “I grew up with teachers who had a huge influence on me all my life,” Harlow told the delighted teachers. “What y’all provide to society is invaluable,” he continued. “Thank you for making my song better.”

Here’s the GMA interview, and a snippet of the original rap video. Enjoy.

Minnesota educator Roger Lehne falls to coronavirus

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Minnesota’s Roger Lehne, retired educator, becomes a casualty of the coronavirus.

The coronavirus pandemic has claimed the lives of several beloved educators. One of these is Roger Lehne, a retired teacher and US Navy veteran from Fargo, North Dakota.

Roger was born on March 26, 1927. He was raised in Audubon, Minnesota. In the closing months of World War II, Roger enlisted in the US Navy. He was only 17 years old. While in the service, Roger served as a medic.

When the war was over, the veteran attended what is now Minnesota State University at Moorhead. He also enrolled at the University of North Dakota, where he completed the requirements for his Master’s degree.

In 1954, Roger inaugurated his career as an educator at Waubun, Minnesota.. In 1966 he transferred to Mahnomen High School. Eventually he was named Vice Principal at Mahnomenl. “Everyone could go to him with problems,” remembered his niece, Julie LaVoy. “He was very beloved.” The respected educator retired in 1984.

It was at the Mahnomen where he met Teresa London, a local elementary school teacher. The couple married on May 31, 1958. Roger and Teresa made their home in Mahnomen, until recent years when they moved to Fargo. Teresa, now age 84, survives her husband.

Sadly, this chalkboard champion passed away on his birthday, March 26, 2020, at the Veterans’ Administration Hospital in Fargo, a casualty of the coronavirus. He was 93 years old. To read more about him, see this obituary published by the Grand Forks Herald.