Hartselle Educator Hall of Fame inducts new class
By Susan Hayes
For the Enquirer
Outside on the evening of Feb. 22, there was a chill in the air. But inside Burningtree Country Club, hearts were radiating warmth. The Hartselle Educator Hall of Fame inducted its ninth class of exceptional education professionals. Martha Cooper, Dr. Dee Dee Jones and Bob Young were inducted for their individual service to Hartselle’s students, and the district’s first Board of Education members were inducted for their service as a team. Larry Anders, the only living member of that original board, spoke on behalf of Richard Stoner, Barry Halford, Elaine Duncan and Elmo Kerr. Family members of those first board members looked on with pride.
Hartselle City Schools’ Superintendent Dr. Brian Clayton opened the evening’s ceremony with a prayer of gratitude for all those in attendance and for the support they have offered students and their families through their work, volunteer service, donations and prayers. Those in attendance included the inductees and their families, friends and coworkers; prior inductees there to celebrate their peers, Hall of Fame board members, and others across the Hartselle community who were there to celebrate its schools.
The evening’s sponsors were also in attendance and included Redstone Federal Credit Union, Cullman Regional, Cerrowire, Representative Parker Moore, Coca Cola Decatur, Peck Glasgow Insurance, Hartselle Utilities, Hartselle Eye Care, Rotary and the Morgan County Commission.
“Gratitude” seemed to be the theme of the evening as each inductee recalled school leaders, fellow teachers, students and families who influenced and impacted their careers. And all of the inductees were grateful to their own families for the years of support that allowed them to meet the needs of the students under their care. Each inductee was introduced by a friend or professional peer of their choosing, and the tales of these remarkable individuals were heartwarming.
Bob Sittason, a Hartselle Educator Hall of Fame board member who passed away in December, was remembered for his service to the board, and military veterans present at the evening’s event were asked to stand and were thanked for their service.
Also recognized were Hartselle’s Teachers of the Year Christy Bennich, Brittany Moore, Laura Gaskin, Susan England, Heath Morrow and Austyn Randolph.
Funds raised from each year’s banquet are poured back into educational endeavors. A portion of the proceeds is donated to the Morgan County Task Force in support of the tutoring they offer to students, and a portion is offered in the form of a scholarship to a student who endeavors to become a teacher. This year’s scholarship recipient, HHS alumnus and UNA Elementary Education major Faeryn Kennedy, was also present at the event.
Those in attendance were reminded that all inductees begin the process with a recommendation from someone in the community, and those recommendations can be made by visiting the “Our System” page of the Hartselle City Schools website.
The entire event unfolded in the gleam of Hartselle’s celebration of 50 years as an independent school district and on the importance of its course in the next 50 years. The evening closed with all singing the Hartselle High School Alma Mater which ends with the line, “Grateful hearts with love unfailing, all our vows renew.”
