By Andrew Walsh
awalsh@wbcowqel.com
Students and educators from all of the Crawford County schools gathered at Colonel Crawford Wednesday night to honor some qualities that so often get over looked: work ethic, responsibility, and effort.
The Crawford County Business and Education Advisory Committee (CCBEAC) did that by hosting the B.E.S.T Awards. Two students from each school who best exhibited the above qualities were selected, and they, in turn, each selected the teacher who has most inspired them.
The evening began with musical entertainment from the Colonel Crawford School show choir, Vision. After their performance, CC superintendent Todd Martin and Richard Ekin, the Chair of the CCBEAC, extolled the importance of “good old-fashioned work ethic and values.” They then turned over the floor to those who were being honored.
This ceremony has an interesting format, where the recipients of the rewards get a chance to present these recognitions to each other, not simply receive them from a third party. This means that one of the students being recognized is called to the podium, and he or she then presents their teacher of choice and the reasons why. Each of those being honored speaks about the other in the relationship, and it is through these exchanges that the bond between pupil and teacher becomes evident.
Morgan Rasnake was one of the students from Colonel Crawford that was honored, and her teacher of choice was Janet Parsons. It quickly came to everyone’s attention that Morgan gave birth to a son during her senior year, and it is this moment of unprecedented change in her life which led to her close bond with Parsons.
When Parsons took the microphone, she informed the crowd how she instantly empathized with Morgan, as she had been an unwed mother herself. She spoke of knowing of everything that Morgan had faced and would face, and over the course of the school year she was a source of comfort, help, and instruction. Parsons went so far as to pitch in with some babysitting duties during the third quarter so that Morgan could continue to focus on her school work.
“She doesn’t promote getting pregnant in high school,” Parsons said, “But she is an example of what accepting your responsibilities looks like.”
As more and more students, and teachers, took to the podium to share their stories, it quickly became evident the level of maturity, work ethic, and drive that these young people possessed.
Paige Musselman, of Bucyrus, exemplified all of these qualities through her absence. The crowd was informed that Paige was not able to be present because she had to pick up a shift at Wendy’s, as the burger restaurant was short-handed. She answered the bell rather than partake in a, well-deserved, night of self-recognition.
One aspect of the student-teacher relationship that can oftentimes be overlooked is one of its simplest aspects: sometimes students and teachers really do become friends. Watching Betty Majoy of Buckeye Central talk about her art student, Tyler Pressley, it was eminently clear that these two shared a genuine friendship.
Majoy smiled through some light tears as she proclaimed a unifying piece of common ground, “We both love Monet.”
After the students and teachers received their recognitions, Todd Martin took to the podium one more time to hand out some recognition in the form of the Tilson Award. This award goes to a member of the local business community who has gone to great lengths to support local schools is a good role model to the young people of this County. This award went to Jim Mays of J + F Construction.
Here is the complete list of students and the teachers they nominated:
Colonel Crawford
Anna Young, Terri Godby
Morgan Rasnake, Janet Parsons
Crestline
Nathan Coffman, Paul Wheeler
Patience Martin, Amber Youngen
Fairway
Jake LaPour, Melinda Schaum
Lance LaPour, George Barbuto
Galion
Brad Wenninger, Fred Rinehart
Satin Quiroz, Cheri Laughbaum
Pioneer-Crestline
David Stone, Cajon Keeton
Pioneer-Bucyrus
Domenick Schifer, Donnie Perry
Wynford
Brydan Lohr, Beth Heinlen
Aryn Copeland, Tessa Martin
Buckeye Central
Sydney Moore, Joe Wiles
Tyler Pressley, Betty Majoy
Bucyrus
Paige Musselman, Sue Bower
Fantaza Taylor, Beth Constantine