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Show Stucki Announces Retirement; Testimonial Is Planned j , By L. C. Miles Thirty-soven years ago Ether. J. " Stucki came to Cedar City to teach in the Cedar City schools. Mr. Stucki was from Santa Clara, Utah and had just finished his first year of teaching in Box Elder El-der County. With the exception of one year, which was spent at Brlgham Young University, he has taught continuously in Cedar Ce-dar City for the full 37 years. This could easily be a record In any man's book. With an average aver-age load of 200 students a year, I this would total approximately 7000 young people whose lives he has touched an hour or more each school day for a little less than four decades. To Retire Now, after 37 years of Instruction, Instruc-tion, "E. J." will retire from the teaching profession at the conclusion con-clusion of this school year. A testimonial is being planned for him by his colleagues and student friends to which all of his present and former students stu-dents and friends are cordially Invited and urged to attend. The program will be held in the public bchool auditorium on Friday night. May 15 from 8 to 9 o'clock. It will consist of musical numbers, num-bers, skits and remlnlscense by former students and his colleagues. col-leagues. While hundreds of teachers have come and gone this man has stood loyal to a school and a people whom he dearly loved and enjoyed. He has turned down offer of-fer after offer because he chose the Junior high age and the Cedar Ce-dar City Junior High. , As principal of the school for 30 of these years I want to say without fear of contradiction and with the deepest love and respect, re-spect, that E. J. Stucki has been a devoted and beloved teacher. I am confident that this has and will be attested to by the many fine students that have- been privileged to call him teacher. He was firm but kind and considerate, con-siderate, exacting yet fair and honest and evaluated each child on the basis of equality and Individual In-dividual .ability. Does Not Conform It Is the accepted belief by the teaching profession that the average av-erage teacher improves in efficiency effi-ciency during the first 10 or J5 years and then coasts along for about another decade before a steady decline starts. Contrary to this belief or theory, theo-ry, Mr. Stucki has done his best teaching the past ten years. This is not only confirmed by the supervisory staff but by tne children who are privileged to be under his leadership. His classroom has for many years been an observatory where teachers from far and near have come to see a master teacher In action. Textbooks and the four walls of the classroom which often total to-tal the child's education environment environ-ment in many schools acted only as a doorway to real education for him. Rather his curriculum was the school and community, people and industry, in fact life itself. Instead of learning to live these students lived as they learned. Individual and group committment to interesting and worthwhile activities was the motivating force In his department depart-ment A great delight to E. J. was the fact that 1007c of his students stu-dents participated in the projects pro-jects chosen and even though their performance varied a great deal he would always say, "Well, I figure he did his best" This acted as encouragement and a strong motivation for each child to exceed his previous record. Failure had no place in his program. If students couldn't be reached one way other challenges chal-lenges and approaches were presented pre-sented until their Interests were aroused. Students far and wide, many of them not too interested In the academic phase of school work, and some ready to quit school because be-cause of trouble llity were having, hav-ing, give credit to Mr. Stucki for starting them rn the right track and staying wit. them until they had at least finished the Junior High. I am sure we all Join in thanking thank-ing him for the friendly guidance guid-ance he so willingly gave and wish him health and happiness for many years to come. r- . r' is i . - ;- . 41 IKY v-'s- E. J. Stucki announced his retirement after 37 years of instruction in Cedar City. Here he is shown at his familiar desk on the second floor, southeast corner of the Junior High School building. Thousands of Cedar City students have received his tutorship. |