Joyce LaCelle

Educator Appreciation Alert: Joyce LaCelle was the music teacher at Pine Forest. I was in her Mixed Chorus, Vocal Ensemble and Music Theory classes. That's a lot of time to spend with someone. It was worth it. Ms. LaCelle had the gift of music, to my benefit she had the gift of how to impart that joy of music through teaching. I was a music freak anyway but my time with her provided the insight as to why music affected me. Why and how music did what it did. Why music was important. Why music needed to be shared. There were never any discipline issues in her class. None. Nada. Nyet. Nil.

Yes she was a great teacher. She became a great friend. We could hang out with her. It wasn't unusual for 2 or 3 of use to drop by her place. She always welcomed us in and would sit and talk with us as equals. In 1969, 70 and 71 having an adult who you could interact with as a peer was important.

#TeacherAppreciationWeek #JoyceLaCelle #ThankAnEducator

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Educator Appreciation Alert: Thank you Charles Stanton for teaching me to appreciate Bob Dylan & Dylan Thomas. Though I never had your class you were always interested in what I was doing. (Probably also WHY I was doing what I was doing.)

Chuck's image is from my 1971 HS annual along with his "signing" in it. He was a genuine character. When he used his signature stamp and made that slightly off center cross he told me that represented his slight imperfection in comparison to Christ. (He'd likely be fired today for doing that) Came to see me perform in the local production of "Dracula". I played Harker when I was 17.

Thank you Mr. Stanton for being a such positive influence.

#TeacherAppreciationWeek #ThankAnEducator

Educator Appreciation Alert: This is Mrs. Horton. She was my Freshman and Sophomore English teacher. Our Freshman year we read "Huckleberry Finn" and "Great Expectations" out loud in class. Apparently Mrs. Horton saw something in me when I read my assigned parts. In the spring of 1968 she wanted to talk to me after class. She told me about the summer workshop conducted by Pat Reese at the Fayetteville Little Theatre and suggested that I might be interested in participating.

So I did.

That summer exposed me to a whole new world to explore. First of all there was Pat Reese, a recovering alcoholic and co-founder of the Myrover-Reese Home in Cumberland County. He was a writer for the Fayetteville Observer and a single parent. And he loved the theatre. He led me on a path of discovery that changed my life.

#TeacherAppreciationWeek #ThankAnEducator

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Educator Appreciation Alert: Joyce LaCelle was the music teacher at Pine Forest. I was in her Mixed Chorus, Vocal Ensemble and Music Theory classes. That's a lot of time to spend with someone. It was worth it. Ms. LaCelle had the gift of music, to my benefit she had the gift of how to impart that joy of music through teaching. I was a music freak anyway but my time with her provided the insight as to why music affected me. Why and how music did what it did. Why music was important. Why music needed to be shared. There were never any discipline issues in her class. None. Nada. Nyet. Nil.

Yes she was a great teacher. She became a great friend. We could hang out with her. It wasn't unusual for 2 or 3 of use to drop by her place. She always welcomed us in and would sit and talk with us as equals. In 1969, 70 and 71 having an adult who you could interact with as a peer was important.

When the Class of '71 had a reunion in 2001 she came through the door and came directly to me and said, "You're who I really wanted to see. So glad you're here." We talked for over an hour. She hadn't aged a bit. Still vibrant, full of life and bouncing all over the place. It was great to visit with an old friend, who happened to have been one of my teachers.

#TeacherAppreciationWeek #JoyceLaCelle #ThankAnEducator

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Educator Appreciation Alert: This is Mrs. Horton. She was my Freshman and Sophomore English teacher. Our Freshman year we read "Huckleberry Finn" and "Great Expectations" out loud in class. Apparently Mrs. Horton saw something in me when I read my assigned parts. In the spring of 1968 she wanted to talk to me after class. She told me about the summer workshop conducted by Pat Reese at the Fayetteville Little Theatre and suggested that I might be interested in participating.

So I did.

That summer exposed me to a whole world I had no idea was out there. First of all there was Pat Reese, a recovering alcoholic and co-founder of the Myrover-Reese Home in Cumberland County. He was a writer for the Fayetteville Observer and a single parent. And he loved the theatre. He led me on a path of discovery that changed my life.

#TeacherAppreciationWeek #ThankAnEducator

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