Monacan High School - Legend Yearbook (Richmond, VA)

Page 142 text:

Barbara M. Seay: E.D. 9-12 Aggie Showalter: Pat Shumate: Assistant Principal Bill Sizemore: Ruby Slayton: Barbara Snellings: Joyce B. Soto: Spanish | Il Denise Spears: Office Services Il, Accounting I, Typing |, FBLA Rusty Stadler: U.S. VA Government, Asst. Football Coach; strength and conditioning pro- gram Debora C. Sweaker: Geometry, Honors Geome- try Jennifer Sweeney: Thomas Tanton: US VA Government, Legend Sponsor Nancy K. Thompson: Spanish V, Advanced Placement, Spanish Il, Spanish Club, Spanish Honor Society Emily Turner: Linda Hart Wagstaff: Latin I-IV, Latin Club, Latin Honor Society, Freshman Cheerleaders Michael R. Walker: Physical Education 10, Head Basketball Coach Rosalie Wallace: Physical Education 9, Girls Basketball JV, Girls Track Loraine Wilkinson: Physical Education 9, Varsi- ty Field Hockey Matthew | Williams: Donna M. Woods: Guidance Counselor Jacqueline Wootten: Earth Science Ann M. Zentmeyer: Guidance Counselor 138 Faculty

Page 141 text:

Bea Sabo: Chairman A Caring and Unorthodox Teacher Most people find greater value in familiar things if they contain an element of mystery, unpredicatability, or the un- Known. If this generalization can be applied to a school’s faculty, Monacan’s Tom Tan- ton is a special teacher in- deed. His unique teaching style and methods combined with a questionable but admit- tedly conducive personality, make Mr. Tanton at once one of the best liked, the most chastized, and, in lieu of a per- haps more appropriate super- lative, one of the most unfor- getable of our faculty. “No one knew who he was or where he came from...” runs an old folk legend. Almost the same can be applied to Mr. Tanton. We do know that he is a graduate from UVA and has been teaching at Monacan for four years. This thirty year old teacher relates to his classes the fact that he is obviously a proverbial ‘‘man of the world,”’ aware of the problems of young people, and willing to lend an ear to help them cope. His dry (or maybe just a tad soggy) wit is often over the head of many a senioritis-in- fected government student, and his words, ‘‘Does anyone know a good joke’’ often serves to break the tension of class. Lest any lower classmen begin saying his bedtime pray- ers to be thrown into the graces of this man, it is our duty to warn the public that be- neath this charming exterior lies a person whose goodli- ness comes from a few steps lower than heaven. Mr. Tan- ton’s tests are acknowledged even by Honors students as bordering on the impossible. A’s are seen in his class about as often as Bigfoot is sighted Strolling through Chesterfield Mall. A myrid of tests, papers, and projects are the rule rath- er than the exception in Mr. Tanton’s course. Do not count on sympathy either: a good time is a good time, but you had better do what you have to do. Even the days when his classes get a chance to listen to politically motivated sixties music serve a particular pur- pose, a definate goal (and don’t you forget it). Underclassmen! Do Not pull out your Mr. Tanton voodoo dolls just yet. He does take steps to convince humanity that he is ‘‘one of the guys.”’ He is, of course, the Legend’s hardworking sponsor. No, really. He sometimes is seen out on the town doing things normally considered almost classy and certainly at least respectable. Finally, out of the goodness of his bizarre little heart, he seems to take year- ly, a pilgrimage to Europe with an eager group of (paying) Monacan students. He goes free, of course, but one must admire the sacrifice. Some questions remain un- answered: For example, where does Mr. Tanton disap- pear to for days on end, leav- ing a harried substitute to watch his classes? Exactly who is this man, and what does he want with us? As class after class tries to solve the question, they find what he is the most: A slightly unortho- dox teacher who cares greatly about his students. Susan Raynes: Algebra |, Geometry, Algebra II — Trig, Pre-Calculus Janice Reese: Algebra |, Geometry Elizabeth Ridolphi: Marketing and Fashion Mer- chandising, Distributive Education Clubs of America, Homecoming Court Charles J. Schaefer: Physics Carol Schmidt: Sheila Schnitt: English Fundamentals 9-12, Study Skills, Special Education Department Robert Sears: World History The Head of the Class. Leading the class in intelligent discussions of per- tinent issues, Mr. Tanton exhibits his talent as a teacher. Faculty 137

Page 143 text:

Never A Dull Moment — Miss P. Makes Learning Fun “Get wisdom and you have a bright future.’’ This proverbi- al sentiment expresses a re- spect for learning that is evi- dent in a teacher who is famil- iar to many seniors who may not share her feelings — Miss Mary Jacqueline Pendergraft. The continuance of education, formal or otherwise is of value to this influential teacher and, subsequently, to those who complete her class. Personal- ly and professionally, Miss Pendergraft exemplifies the benefits of the love of learn- ing. The desire to study in her areas of interest, not the asperation to be a teacher, led Miss Pendergraft to East Carolina University. Majoring in English and minoring in Spanish, she decided to put her knowledge to use by trans- mitting it to others. Thus, Miss Pendergraft embarked upon the career that, in spite of ini- tial difficulties, keeps her challenged and happy today. The largest indication of her success is the respect that she evokes from those who work with her — students and teachers alike. Students rec- ognize what Miss Pendergraft considers her necessary strength as an educator — the respect of the individuality of a student. Therefore, she has stated she is able to learn from the diversity and the spontaneity of those that she teaches. A statement by Mrs. Kathy Lewis reflects Miss Pendergraft’s success with her colleagues: ‘‘She is the best department head l’ve had, and I’ve worked in four schools.”’ Professionally, the love of learning possessed by Miss Pendergraft affords her the opportunity both to benefit her students by impressing it upon them and to provide ad- vantages for herself by learn- ing from those around her. The most revealing aspects of a human are the values that he holds. In her personal, as well as professional goals, Miss Pendergraft regards learning with great respect. In the future, she hopes to con- Horrors, what’s lurking here? No matter what the topic, Mrs. Pender- graft always seems to make it humor- Ous and enjoyable. tinue her studies, perhaps by attending classes full-time in the summer. A question that leads her ahead is, ‘‘What have | done today that | cando better tomorrow?’’ Tomorrow will find Miss Pendergraft, who has taught at schools in Mary- land and Florida, as well as at Clover Hill, Manchester, and Matoaca, at Monacan, con- tinuing to teach and to learn. Joking about having no ambi- tion, Miss Pendergraft con- vincingly states that she is so content teaching that she plans to remain in the profes- sion indefinitely. When all is said and done, in particular when senior English is successfully completed and graduation is but a memory, the fortunate students of Miss Pendergraft will carry with them her influence. In the course of future learning, an encounter with another true scholar, who possesses re- spect for both people and studies, may be in order. How- ever, it will serve simply as a remin der of the original lesson taught by a special high school English instructor. Without a doubt, Miss Pender- graft is one who, in the words of Geoffrey Chaucer, beloved to all seniors, ‘‘would gladly learn and gladly teach.”’ [SS “I know it’s here somewhere.”’ Searching for a quote, Mrs. Pender- graft consults a literature book. fs eeprene =e Faculty 139