Special Education teacher Juan Yanez of Derby, Kansas, succumbed to Covid-19 in Feb., 2021. Photo credit: Derby Informer.

Sadly we report the passing of yet another beloved educator who has succumbed to Covid-19. Juan Yanez, a Special Education teacher in Derby, Kansas, succumbed to the disease in February, 2021.

For nine years, the beloved educator had been a teacher at Oaklawn Elementary School in the Derby Pubic School District located in Wichita, Kansas. Previously he had taught at Wineteer Elementary and Pleasantview Elementary.

Colleague Joe Addis described Juan as someone who “definitely, really cared about kids. That really showed in everything that he did,” Addis said. “He just worked hard to build connections with the students that he worked with. That was something that always really impressed me about him,” Addis remembered. He said also observed Juan’s teaching style, commenting that the fallen educator used his sense of humor and his genuine passion to make connections with students. “He did a lot of really good incentive work, I thought, with students to really help them be encouraged to come to the room and give their best, Addis concluded.

Juan’s compassion for youngsters with special needs extended to adults with special needs as well. In early March, 2020, before the pandemic caused nationwide shut-downs, Juan and fellow Special Education teacher Jennifer Nulik organized a community service project at Pleasantview Elementary School. The project was designed to provide employment resources and opportunities for special needs students and adults. The project was part of Juan’s course work in his Master’s program at Wichita State University. The effort resulted n the First Annual Tri-County Career/Resources Fair. To read more about the event, see this article published by the Derby Informer.

Sadly, we report that Special Education teacher Stephanie J. Keller of Papillion, Nebraska, has succumbed to Covid-19. Photo credit: Tribute Archives.

We are sad to report that Covid-19 has claimed the life of yet another beloved educator. Stephanie J. Keller of Papillion, Nebraska, succumbed to the disease on April 5, 2021.

Stephanie was born on September 7, 1981, in Sioux City, Iowa. She attended East High School, where she participated in band and choir. These activities gave her the opportunity to indulge in her love for travel. Following her high school graduation in 2000, she attended Morningside College in her home town of Soiux City. There she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary and Special Education. While at Morningside, Stephanie was crowned Homecoming Queen in 2003. In college, she spent her summers working at Camp Foster in Okobjoki, Iowa. Later she earned her Master’s degree from Wayne State College located in Wayne, Nebraska.

Once she completed the requirements for her Bachelor’s degree, Stephanie accepted her first teaching position at South Sioux City Schools, where she remained for eight years. In 2011, Stephanie married Kevin Keller. The couple moved to Papillion, Nebraska, where the experienced educator accepted a position as a Special Education teacher at G. Stanley Hall Elementary School. Stephanie and her husband also became foster parents to six children.

Unfortunately, the beloved educator contracted Covid-19, and succumbed to the disease on April 5, 2021. She was just 39 years old. Read her obituary at this link to Tribute Archive.

Special Education teacher Wendi Rhodes of Springfield, Georgia, passed away from Covid-19 on March 9, 2021. She is shown here with her son Davin Rhodes. Photo credit: GoFundMe.

With great sadness, we report that yet another beloved educator has succumbed to Covid 19. Wendi Rhodes, a high school Special Education teacher in Springfield, Georgia, passed away on March 9, 2021. She was only 48 years old.

As a youngster, Wendi attended high school in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. After graduating in 1990, she enrolled at Georgia Southern University located in Statesboro, Georgia. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Education with an emphasis on Special Education in 1995. In 2012, Wendi graduated from Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, Georgia, with her Master’s Degree in Special Education.

As a neophyte educator, Wendi began her career as a first through third grade self-contained Specific Learning Disability teacher Chatham County, Georgia. Later she moved to Lexington, Kentucky. There she taught high school special education for two years, splitting her time between collaborating in the regular education math classes and working with self-contained students who were learning life skills. She then moved to Manassas, Virginia, and worked as a Transition Coordinator for the Manassas City School System. While there, she assisted with job internship placements and facilitated on-the-job training for students with disabilities.

Upon returning to Georgia in 2001, Wendi has worked with students with disabilities at the high school level at Jenkins High School in Savannah, and at both South Effingham High School and Effingham County High School. Her students were the severe and profoundly intellectually disabled.

During her leisure hours, Wendi enjoyed reading novels, crafting projects, bargain shopping, going to concerts, and traveling, especially to the mountains.

To learn more about Wendi Rhodes, see this brief biography published by Effingham County High School.

Special Education teacher JoNell Bakke has also served several terms in the North Dakota State Senate. Photo credit: North Dakota Legislative Branch.

Because of their highly developed leadership skills, hardworking classroom teachers often earn acclaim in the political realm. One such teacher is JoNell Bakke, an educator from Grand Forks, North Dakota, who also served multiple terms in her state’s Senate.

JoNell earned her Bachelor’s of Science degree in Elementary/Special Education in 1973 and her Master’s of Education in 1997, both from the University of North Dakota.  After earning her degrees, she worked as an eighth grade special education teacher at Elroy Schroeder Middle School in her home city of Grand Forks. Her career spanned the years of 1983 to 2013.

After many years in the classroom, JoNell was elected on the Democratic ticket to the North Dakota State Senate, where she represented the 43rd District from 2007 to 2009, and from 2019 to present day. There she served on the committees for Education, the Commission on Juvenile Justice, the Human Services Committee, and the Committees for Judiciary, Transportation, and Long-Term Care. 

In addition to her work in schools and in the legislature, JoNell has lent her considerable talent to a number of civic organizations. She has served as the President of the Grand Forks Education Association and as a member of the Board of the North Dakota Education Association. She also served as the Chair of the North Dakota Women’s Network and as the Vice Chair of the Board of the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition. Furthermore, she completed a lengthy stint as the Chair of the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education Board of Examiners (NCATE) and as a member of the State Mentoring Trainer for Teacher Support System.

To read more about JoNell, see her web page at North Dakota Legislative Branch.