Congratulations to the TOY & SPOY at Galaxy of the Stars

Congratulation to 2015 Citrus Teach of the Year Alex Stubenbort of Lecanto Middle School and 2014 Citrus Support person of the Year Collen Fuller of Central Ridge Elementary.

As Board Chair one of the best responsibilities we are afforded is to give a short speech at the annual Galaxy of the Stars, Teacher and Support person of the year ceremony sponsored by the Citrus Educational Foundation.  This event gives us an opportunity to not only honor each of you, but by honoring you, also honor all those that work in and support education.  I want to share with you the words I share that evening.

Galaxy of the Stars Speech by Thomas Kennedy

To Our Support Staff

Two years ago I was visiting Principal Rich Hilgert at his school. I noticed that on his lanyard was a pin in the shape of a parachute.  I asked him about it and he told me the story of U.S. Navy Captain and P.O.W. Charles Plumb.

Capt. Plumb was a Navy Aviator jet pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy hands. He was captured and spent 6 years at a Vietnamese prison nicknamed “The Hanoi Hilton”. (John McCain and also former CRHS/WTI teacher Richard Tangeman was also there.)  Fortunately, Plumb was liberated from the camp and returned back to the States to begin a new life. One day he and his wife were sitting in a restaurant when a man at another table came up to him and said, “You’re Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!”

“How in the world did you know that?” asked Plumb.

“I packed your parachute,” the man replied. Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude. The man shook Plumb’s hand and said, “I guess it worked!” Plumb assured him, “It sure did. If your chute hadn’t worked, I wouldn’t be here today.”

Plumb couldn’t sleep that night, thinking about that man. Plumb says, “I kept wondering what he might have looked like in a Navy uniform”. He wondered how many times he might have seen him. Did he ever say to that man, “Good Morning”, or “How are you?”

Plumb thought of the man hours the sailor had spent at a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship, carefully weaving the cords and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands the fate of someone he didn’t even know.

In Citrus Schools our Support Staff are our parachute packers. We thank you because every day your parachute packing allows our teachers to successfully complete their missions for our students and we thank you

To Our Teachers

I want to share with you a story about a young student.  This was a student that struggled in school.  This student had learning disabilities which made school challenging.  While friends were easily mastering skills, this student would fall further and further behind.  In middle school this student had a fourth grade reading level; in 10^th grade the reading level was that of a sixth grader.  This student felt discouraged, frustrated, and defeated.  Going to school was like facing a painful medical treatment; it was necessary but some days it felt like it just wasn’t worth the pain.  However, certain key teachers helped make those days bearable and eventually that student felt the success the other students had been experiencing. I’m sure you have guessed that that student was me.   While many teachers played a vital role in my education, two teachers–one in 7^th grade (Mr. Bill Linthwaite) and the other in high school (Ms. Joelle Andre’) —were especially instrumental in helping me.  Each of them saw past my learning challenges and saw my potential.  They made me feel capable and smart.  Recent guest speaker Dave Weber said, “Hope in the future brings power to the present.”  Those teachers gave me hope by helping me see myself meeting my goals and being successful in the future. This is turn gave me the confidence and willingness to work through the academic challenges I was experiencing in school so that I could indeed be successful.  And so we say to our teachers’ thank you.

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Every time I visit our schools and classrooms I am again reminded of how my wife and I are blessed to live in Citrus County and have our two children attend our public schools because   each of you gives hope to your students  regardless of what challenges they come with. And because of that hope you give, students are able to accomplish more and make those goals you have set for them a reality. I can’t thank you enough for the work you do. Congratulations on being chosen as Teacher and Support Person of the Year.

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