46 OCTOBER 2020 By Amanda Savage World Teachers’ Day is celebrated on Monday, October 5. In honor of the event, Arcadia News spoke with Deborah Smith Johnston of Keystone Academy – an international boarding school in Shunyi, Beijing – to find out how this special day came about. Johnston, who is a history teacher at the academy, was the recipient of the 2019 Pioneers in World History Award, given by the World History Association. She has an undergraduate and graduate degree in international affairs and worked at the United Nations in the 1990s. She has spent her life studying culture and education and has been a secondary educator for 30 years. She explained that the celebration of World Teachers’ Day comes from the Confucius teachings of not only accessibility and education for everyone, but education as a way to explore human nature. “One of the most important jobs of a history teacher is to teach the future,” Johnston said. “That may seem like an oxymoron, but I honestly believe that unless we train our students to look at those patterns of what’s happening in the present and see the context... they’re not going to be able to do well in the future.” UNESCO started World Teachers’ Day in 1994 as a celebration of the day that the organization adopted a new set of global teaching and education standards. “T hat con ference s p e c i f i c a l l y w a s addressing inclusive education: making sure special needs students were part of the equation and moving forward, with education for all,” she said. Johnston also thinks the event’s creation aligns with UNESCO’s planning for the new millennium. “There’s this moment in the 90s when they’re looking back at the progress they’ve made. They were also looking forward to the millennium development goals they were going to start in 2000,” she said. Johnston explained that “education is what is allowing families and communities to escape poverty in the United States and across the world. I think without equal education for all, you limit the potential of developing nations.” The 2020 World Teachers’ Day theme, “Teachers: Leading in crisis, reimagining the future” couldn’t be more relevant. “The recognition that teachers matter has become even more important in the past eight months,” Johnston said. “Not everyone has those resources to be able to do online education at home. When we think about the divide in education, particularly in COVID times, there’s a huge divide between who gets what.” To Johnston, the best way to show gratitude toward teachers is with a simple note of affirmation and recognition that their students are applying what they learn in the classroom to their daily lives. Whatever you do, make sure to say thank you. World Teachers’ Day: celebrating educators everywhere Deborah Smith Johnston, Ph.D., teaches history lessons in hopes of building a better future. PHOTO COURTESTY OF THE KEYSTONE ACADEMY By Cliff Summerhill Xavier College Preparatory’s volleyball team has a reason to celebrate this year. For the eighth year in a row, the team has won the U.S. Marine Corps and American Volleyball Coaches Association’s Team Academic Award for the 2019- 2020 season. “I was so honored and proud of my teammates for receiving this award because not many people understand the work it takes behind the scenes to maintain grades while constantly having practices and games,” senior Zaira Reyes said. This award marks a significant achievement in both academics and athleticism. The 15-girl team must maintain a yearlong GPA of 3.3 or higher on a 4.0 scale. “Coaches have the most influence during difficult times,” AVCA Executive Director Kathy DeBoer said. “Keeping student athletes focused on their academic success when their volleyball identity was suddenly gone is leadership worth celebrating.” Since becoming the head volleyball coach at Xavier Prep eight years ago, Lamar-Renee Bryant has maintained a rigorous academic and athletic schedule that has led to this annual achievement. “This award furthers our mission of women of faith pursuing excellence on the court and in the classroom,” Bryant said. It’s not always an easy balance for team members to strive for both good grades and winning on the court, but Bryant said she always pushes the girls to their best in both realms. “I always push academics first,” Bryant said. “Students take advantage of the 8th hour at school when there are no classes, and I encourage students to do homework before practice, rather than coming home at 9 p.m. to do homework. We 100% talk about time management – during lunch, whenever there is free or downtime – so that they keep ahead.” Bryant also added that she wants “to make sure these girls are academically and athletically strong. Academics is the most important thing to further their career goals.” Although the team won individual awards last season, this is the only team-wide award, and the girls couldn’t be more excited. “Our team works hard to strive for success both on and off the court,” junior Alexa Shiner said. “We are proud of this recognition. I am extremely grateful to be a part of this program.” Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, there was no formal celebration – but there was a lot of cheering, according to Coach Bryant. The team is still hosting tryouts for the new season but will adhere to COVID-19 safety guidelines and protocols. “Volleyball is an opportunity for athletic outlets and helps create normalcy in life while competing at a high level,” Bryant said. “I am extremely proud of the girls and their hard work. Taking academics seriously is a requirement of being on any team at Xavier.” Xavier’s volleyball team scores big in academics Top row: Jasmine Knight, Juli Westfall, Isabella Sinacori, Quinn Voorhees and Kate Tax. Middle row: Coach Stephanie Preach, Coach Kristen Jones, Bri McKnight, Zaira Reyes, Maggie Williams and Head Coach Lamar-Renee Bryant. Bottom row: Alexa Shiner, Abby Converse, Tiffany Tellez, Emma Soderstrom, Katelen Tellez, Lexi Yoza and Kaori Robertson. PHOTO COURTESY OF LISA ZUBA SPECIAL GIFTS Show appreciation by giving teachers a “thank you” card, surprising them with homemade crafts or drawings, or by writing a poem of admiration. YUMMY TREATS Collaborate with your local PTA to set up a raffle with gift cards, coffee mugs and other prizes. Surprise teachers with coffee and donuts or set up a potluck breakfast for teachers before the school day begins. GIFT CARDS Gift cards for lunch, dinner or self-care treatments are always special – especially after the stresses of this year. Other ideas include sweets, coffee or gift cards to Target or Hobby Lobby. SHOUTOUTS Create a special shoutout to your favorite teachers on social media – let them know how awesome they are! WAYS TO THANK A TEACHER

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