Teachers at the ceremony, however, glimpsed another side of Booth. The governor discarded his prepared text and delivered an emotional impromptu tribute to the role teachers had played in his own life, noting three teachers in particular. “I learned more from them than anybody who had an impact on my life,’' he said. “The older I get, the more I recognize the marks of those teachers on my personality....To the extent that I succeed in the job I have, it will be a testament to the power and wisdom of the excellent teachers I have had.’'
Booth received a standing ovation.
Three Sisters
The family that teaches together stays together. At least that’s what the Yandell sisters believe. Last spring, after teaching elementary school in the Logan-Rogersville (Mo.) School District for a combined total of 111 years, the three sisters retired en masse.
Thelma Yandell, the eldest, began her teaching career 43 years ago in Panther Valley, now a part of the Logan-Rogersville district, which has been her employer for the last 40 years. Thelma, a 4th grade teacher, got her two younger sisters, Edith and Betty, into teaching, she says, because she thought they would enjoy it and because she wanted to have someone to talk with about her work. Edith taught elsewhere for two years before coming to Logan-Rogersville 35 years ago to teach 5th and 6th grade. Betty Yandell Wood taught 3rd grade in the district for 36 years.
School officials, colleagues, and former students from several generations held a tea in May to bid the sisters farewell.
The $25,000 Question
Who knows where Mount Erebus is located? Susannah Batko-Yovino does, and the 11-year-old 6th grader from Altoona, Pa., has a $25,000 college scholarship to show for it.
Susannah answered that question correctly to become this year’s winner of the National Geography Bee, an annual event organized by the National Geographic Society. More than 3 million 4th-through8th graders participated in the various levels of the competition.
And by the way, Mount Erebus is in Antarctica.
A Friend In Need
Friends of Lance O’Pry, of Rosenberg Lamar Consolidated High School in Rosenberg, Texas, shaved their heads in support of their classmate while he underwent chemotherapy for cancer. The group of friends and football teammates standing behind Lance in the photo are, from left to right, Jason Hardin, Kori Eskelin, Mac Jones, Tim Schnabel, Johnny Harris, Donnie Reed, Jeff Peacock, and Doug Foster.
