AMAZING MEMBERS
Continuing to Serve
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fter serving thirty years as a teacher and administrator, Beth Knes, a member of MO Beta Xi isn’t through yet. She continues to serve and impact the lives of Missouri’s educators as a governor-appointed member of the Public School and Education Employees Retirement System of Missouri (PSRS/PEERS) Board of Trustees. As a Board member and fiduciary of the Systems, Beth assists with making critical financial and policy decisions on behalf of the entire PSRS/PEERS membership. When she left teaching, Beth wanted to continue to be involved in education in some capacity, but substituting was not her immediate choice. She felt that she needed more technology expertise since most classrooms were meeting virtually. She was invited to apply for a position on the Board of Trustees, was accepted by the governor and approved by the Senate of MO. Beth is one of seven members of this diverse board of teachers, administrators and financial folks. Beta Xi Sister Shelley Smith shared, “Beth has a passion for education and for positively contributing to the lives of Missouri educators, whether they are young, elderly or somewhere in between.” Beth is the mother of two sons. One is a nurse and the other is a teacher. She loves spending time with family and enjoys reading in her spare time. Her teaching career covered every elementary school grade. As a classroom teacher, she taught second grade. When she became a reading specialist she worked with students from kindergarten to sixth grade and as a special education teacher her students ranged from first to fifth grade. Joining A∆K about four years ago, Beth has found a solid place among her sister educators. Beth says, “I’m thankful to be a part of A∆K and glad to be in such a caring chapter. It has made my life richer and I love having opportunities to learn together with fellow educators.” Article contributed to by Betty Sherrod, VA Gamma Omicron and Shelley Smith, MO Beta Xi
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Students Learn Stories of Resistance and Hope in Holocaust
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am Plahs, VA Beta Upsilon, hopes to honor those who risked everything to resist the injustice of the Holocaust. Exploring the courageous decisions made by the group, Righteous Among the Nations, Plahs plans to lead her seventh graders to a deeper understanding of the Holocaust. Righteous Among the Nations is defined as non-Jews who helped the Jewish people in times of need. They were Christians, Muslims and atheists. Some were high-ranking diplomats who used their positions to secure false papers for Jews, while others were peasant farmers who hid Jews on their property. Plahs recently received an R.E.B. Award (Rudolph and Esther Bunzi) for Teaching Excellence from the Community Foundation. She said, “I find the Holocaust to be one of the most tragic events within the history of the world. In the midst of that tragedy, however, stories of resistance and hope prevail and remind us of those who chose not to stand by and allow their fellow human beings to be persecuted and murdered, but rather had the courage, each in his or her own way, to help.” For several years Plahs has invited Holocaust survivor Jay Ipson to share his story of the poor Polish Catholic farmer who saved his 10-member family from the Nazis by hiding them in a potato hole on his farm. “Why?” students asked. Mr. Paskauska simply knew it was the right thing to do. Plahs wants her students to grasp the consequences of apathy as well as the positive impact one individual can have. She hopes to empower her students to stand up against injustice. She plans to travel to Europe to visit former sites of ghettos and concentration camps, Holocaust museums, synagogue archives and locations used to hide Holocaust refugees. She is also learning to play the violin to join her school’s orchestra as they play authentic concentration camp sheet music for the cross-curricular documentary project she will implement with her students. Article by Lynne Bland in collaboration with Laurie Surles, Virginia Beta Upsilon, president 2020
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