Tag Archives: Social Studies Teachers

Ohio middle school teacher Amy Jo Ward succumbs to Covid-19

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Beloved Ohio middle school teacher and cheerleading coach Amy Jo Ward succumbs to Covid 19 on Feb. 9, 2021. She was 48 years old. Photo credit: Legacy.

With great sadness we report that educator Amy Jo Ward of Crooksville, Ohio, has  succumbed to Covid-19. She was 48 years old when she passed away on Feb. 19, 2021.

Amy Jo taught seventh and eighth grade Social Studies at Crooksville Middle School in the district known as Crooksville Exempted Village Schools. In addition to her responsibilities in the classroom, Amy Jo served her school as their cheerleader advisor and she was active in the Crooksville Band Boosters. Prior to teaching at the middle school, she taught fourth grade in the same district. Her career as an educator spanned 21 years.

The beloved educator will be greatly missed. “Amy loved being a teacher,” remembered colleague Sheila Smith. “In the last several years, we have been switching teacher assignments like crazy, but Amy adjusted like it was no big deal,” Smith continued.

“I went from being a troubled kid, being in drama 24/7, being in fights, downgrading myself, swearing I will never succeed to taking myself from drama, focusing on myself, committing myself to a college,” remembered former student Betty Randolph. “When I look back on who I was I changed because you were by my side the whole way through it. You changed me for the better and I thanked you everyday for it,” Randolph continued.

The fallen educator was born on Feb. 23, 1972, in Zanesville, Ohio. As a young girl, she attended Crooksville High School, where she graduated in 1990. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in elementary Education from the Ohio State University, Zanesville.

To read more about this beloved teacher, see this article about her published by Perry County Tribune.

Ethel Cuff Black: Suffragist and pioneering Black teacher

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Social Studies educator Ethel Cuff Black was an active suffragist and the first African American public school teacher in Rochester, New York. Photo credit: Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Many talented educators earn notoriety for fields of endeavor outside of the classroom. One of these was Ethel Cuff Black. She became an active suffragist, and broke barriers when she became the first African American teacher in Rochester, New York.

Ethel Cuff Black was born in 1890 in Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware. Her father was a prominent banker, and her maternal grandfather was a Civil War Veteran. As a young woman, Ethel attended Industrial School for Colored Youth in Bordentown, New Jersey. She graduated with the highest grade point average in her class. In 1915, she graduated cum laude with a major in education from Howard University. While she attended Howard, she  chairwoman of the collegiate chapter of the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA).

In addition, Ethel is credited with being one of the founding members of the prestigious Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. The organization devoted themselves to social activism and community service. Ethel was elected the sorority’s first Vice President. With her sorority sisters, the future educator attended the group’s first public event, the Woman Suffrage Procession in Washington, DC, in March of 1913. Prominent suffragist Mary Church Terrell had argued vigorously on behalf of the Deltas to win them a place in the parade, where they were the only African American organization to participate.

After her college graduation, Ethel became the first African American teacher to work in schools in Rochester, New York. Later she taught social studies in public schools in Oklahoma and Missouri, and she worked at PS 108 in South Ozone Park, New York, where she taught for 27 years. She also served as a faculty member at Delaware State College in Dover before her retirement in 1957.

This Chalkboard Champion passed away on September 17, 1977, at the age of 77. To learn more about her, read the obituary published by the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.

Arkansas teacher, coach Sean Fletcher succumbs to Covid

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With sadness another educator has been lost to Covid. Sean Fletcher, a German teacher and coach succumbed to the disease on Dec. 12, 2020. Photo credit: Legacy.

With great sadness I report the passing of yet another educator we have lost to Covid. Sean Fletcher, a high school German teacher and coach, succumbed to the disease on December 12, 2020. He was only 49 years old.

Sean was born on July 26, 1971, in Mountain Home, Arkansas. He graduated from Mountain Home High School in 1989. As a young man, he earned his Bachelor’s degree in German Language and Literature in 1993. While in college, he was involved in student government and Theta Chi, Order of Omega.

Sean taught German and History in the Yellville-Summit School District. His career was inaugurated in 1998. He also donated his time as an Assistant Coach for the Yellville-Summit Panthers Baseball team and the Pee-Wee basketball team. He retired in 2020.

This amazing educator will surely be missed by all who knew him.  “Mr. Fletcher was an amazing teacher and coworker,” recalls colleague Rebecca Gates. “He always had us laughing in class. When I started teaching, he welcomed me with open arms and was always willing to answer any questions I had. Parent Walter Severs agrees. “Sean was a very good and beyond good teacher. His influence will be felt through his students and their influences for generations,” asserted Severs. “I first met Sean through our daughter, who was one of his many students. She always told me that he was one of the best teachers she ever had,” Severs continued. “Above all, he sincerely cared about his students and their futures. Sean will always be remembered and talked about in so many good ways for as long as there are memories,” Severs concluded.

The stricken teacher was considered by those who knew him as a true Arkansan who faithfully supported the Arkansas Razorbacks. Sean also spent a large amount of time studying his family’s genealogy.

To see Sean’s obituary, click on this link to the Legacy.

NY Social Studies teacher Andrew Beiter inducted into NTHF

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Andrew Beiter, a social studies teacher from Springville, New York, has been inducted into the 2020 class of the National Teachers Hall of Fame. Photo credit: www.academyfor humanrights.org

 

I enjoy sharing stories about exemplary educators who have earned recognition for their work in the classroom. One of these is Andrew Beiter, a social studies teacher from Springville, New York. Andrew is one of five educators who have been inducted into the 2020 class of the National Teachers Hall of Fame (NTHF).

Andrew teaches eighth grade American history at Springville Middle School in Springville, a suburb of Buffalo, New York. Previously, Andrew taught in the Panama School District and at St. Bonaventure School in West Seneca. His career as an educator has spanned 25 years.

This amazing educator has garnered the respect of his colleagues, his students, and their parents. “I’m truly grateful for the impact Andrew has had on our school and students,” says Shanda DuClon, Principal of Springville Middle School. “He has successfully led several school-wide lessons where tolerance is the topic. He is an advocate for our students, and through his support, Andrew has created a safe environment where students can truly be themselves without judgment,” the principal continued. Fellow educator Megan Felt agrees. “His impact reaches beyond the boundaries of his classroom to include educators and students around the world,” Megan asserts. “His colleagues and students speak of his love and passion for teaching.”

In addition to his duties in the classroom, Andrew is also the Director of the Summer Institute for Human Rights of Buffalo, a Regional Education Coordinator for the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. He is the Board President for the Educators’ Institute for Human Rights, an organization designed to provide education to teachers about the Holocaust and human rights in former conflict zones, including Rwanda, Bosnia, and Cambodia. He is also a Teacher Fellow for the Lowell Milken Center and a consultant for the Speak Truth to Power program at the Robert F. Kennedy Center. And as if all that were not enough, he is active in New York State United Teachers and the National Council for the Social Studies.

Andrew earned his Bachelor’s degree in Political Philosophy from Michigan State University in 1987 and his Master’s in Education from State University of New York, Fredonia in 1998.

Well done, Andrew.

Cherie Dandurand, Iowa social studies teacher, succumbs to Covid

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Cherie Dandurand, a beloved social studies teacher in Moville, Iowa, has succumbed to Covid-19. (Photo credit: Sioux City Journal)

Sadly, we report that Cherie Dandurand, a beloved social studies teacher in Moville, Iowa, has succumbed to Covid-19. She passed away on Jan. 6, 2021, at the age of 53.

Cherie was born Oct. 1, 1967. As a youngster, she attended Prairie High School School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where she graduated in 1986. There she was a member of the National Honor Society, and she excelled as an athlete. In fact, as a senior, she was recognized as the All-Around Female Athlete of the Year.

After her high school graduation, Cherie enrolled at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, where earned her Bachelor’s degree from Loras College in 1990. There she excelled in both volleyball and basketball. In 2010, Cherie earned her Master’s degree from Wayne State College in Wayne, Nebraska.

In 1991, Cherie inaugurated her teaching career as a middle school history teacher at Woodbury Central in Moville, Iowa. Her career there spanned 30 years. In addition to her classroom responsibilities, she was also a Head Coach and Assistant Coach for volleyball and basketball, and she served as the president of the Woodbury Central Education Association. “She was part of our safety committee. She was part of our leadership team. She was also a member of her school’s Character Counts Committee and part of our School Improvement Team.

According to Woodbury Central School District Superintendent Douglas Glackin, the fallen educator, “Loved working with kids, was able to reach out, especially struggling kids and get them more involved in school.”

Cherie was involved in many community activities as well. She was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church, and she was active in Boy Scouts as the Chairwoman of the Troop Committee. In her free time, this amazing educator was an avid reader.

To read more about Cherie, see her obituary published in The Gazette.