Farewells These two long-time members of the EC family have built programs that our staff and faculty will continue to grow in the years to come.
Thank yo We thank them for their dedication, leadership and many years of friendship.
Anita Florence
Anita Florence’s teaching career has been one centered on faith. “Catholic education has been my passion for as long as I can remember.” When her daughter was ready to start school, Anita wanted her to attend a Catholic school but there was not one near their home in Gig Harbor. She started meeting with two other moms at her parish who also sought a Catholic school experience for their children. When they could not meet in person, they met on the phone. “One of the women added three-way calling so we could talk and plan every day. And not just talk but pray—we prayed together every day,” said Anita. In the fall of 1995, Holy Family School opened with 12 children. “We celebrated that we opened an independent Catholic school! Our parish was afraid of the challenges that a school might bring so our friends at the local Episcopal church let us use their facility. Today, the school is St. Nicholas Parish School, run by the archdiocese. This is one of the accomplishments I am most proud of over my entire lifetime,” said Anita. It is this faith, dedication and kindness Anita has brought to her teaching. She began her teaching career working in the Options Program and will finish her career teaching in the Religious Studies Department. For 20 years she has also worked in parishes, as a Faith Formation Director at Our Lady of Sorrows in Snoqualmie and as the director of confirmation at Mary, Queen of Peace in Sammamish. Catholic education has been her life’s work, “I love seeing students get excited about Bible stories. Even students who are not Christian appreciate the beauty of the stories. I am a storyteller at heart. I love to tell stories—and what better stories to tell than those from the Bible! Being able to share my passion with students is a true blessing, especially when I see that same passion coming back from them.” Anita brought meditation and mindfulness into the middle school classroom and gave the students the tools to use it outside 8
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of the classroom as well. She built the curriculum for the middle school religion program. Eighth grade students learn Church history which Anita is most proud of because of how hard she worked to make the class interesting for all students. In retirement, Anita and her husband will sell the home where they raised their two children and move to their lake property,“We will live in our cabin until our new cottage is built. We also plan to buy a travel trailer and do some traveling around the U.S. and Canada. I plan to spend a lot of time with my grandsons of course!” Anita says, “The best part of teaching has been getting to know my students and seeing them face-to-face on a daily basis—seeing them grow and mature and thrive. I am grateful that we will be able to finish the year together in the classroom and I am grateful that I will be able to see those smiles and hear their laughter. I am so happy I will be able to look them in their beautiful eyes and tell them what a blessing they have been to me as I bid them farewell!”
