June 13, 2001

Blair bids adieu to Pearce

Elementary teacher retires after 31 years

By LISA PERKINS
Herald staff writer
       Beth Pearce will be greatly missed at Blair Elementary next year. This judging by the consensus of students, teachers, parents and administrators at Blair, where Pearce will wind up her 31 year teaching career today.
      Pearce started teaching sixth-grade at Blair five years ago, but has taught everything from third-grade through high school in schools across the country. Her husband Carl's career in the Coast Guard sent the couple to Virginia, Kodiak, Alaska and several places in between.
      Listed among her accomplishments, Pearce secured funding for and developed a program to continue education for pregnant students in a school near San Diego in the early 1970s, worked with Aleut Indian children in Alaska using a bilingual reading program and now publishes a school newspaper which is written and edited by her sixth grade class.
      When Pearce came to Blair in 1996, she wanted to add the production of a newspaper to the sixth-grade curriculum.
      "She started it so that the kids would learn to love to write, and it has worked. Kids looked forward to being in sixth grade because of it," said Diana Bartlett, Pearce's classroom assistant for the past five years. "She makes it look so easy but it takes a lot of work. This will be the final year for the Blair Blabber because no one else wants to take it on."
      Pearce is also well-known for her teaching style. "One of the reasons I wanted to come to the school was because of Beth and her reputation. Her way of dealing with kids is pretty amazing, she never gets flustered," said Glenn Solowiej, principal of Blair Elementary. "I'm very sad to see her go."
      Zita Shipman, former Blair principal added, "she is always on the front line of what the kids need to know. She always looks for the positive side of things making the school a better place to be."
      Pearce's students share in that sentiment. "She always comes up with stories about what we are learning, like even the Civil War, you would almost think that she was there," said sixth-grader, Devon Mathews.
      "She tries to make learning comfortable. She plays things by ear, not by schedule, her class is real relaxing," added classmate Chasten Glezman.
      Student Brandon Adkins is among those who will miss Pearce. He summed up the thoughts of his classmates with the ultimate compliment for any educator, "she is just one of the best teachers I have ever had."