R e t i r e e s h o n o r e d f o r r a n g e o f C o n tr i b u t i o n s
Four Women
Jessica Good
Betty Jo Horton
Betty Michaels
who made their mark Jessica Good
By Linda Mines, History Department Chair If Girls Preparatory School is a family, then Jessica Good is the independent sister who strained against the conventional to blaze a trail for those of us who have followed along her path. Long before educational institutions began using ‘strong voice’ as a descriptor for young leaders, Jessica challenged societal expectations for young, educated, Southern women. Alumnae easily recall probing discussions focused on Jane Eyre’s unconventional choices, Elizabeth Bennett’s assertions of her own worth and Shakespeare’s portrayals of misguided kings. From The Once and Future King to All the King’s Men, Jessica
Critical thinking skills garner a mention in most lesson plans today, but Jessica Good always challenged young women to “show me; don’t tell me.” used great novels to plumb the depths of humanity and humanity’s inhumanity. What virtues guided Arthur to his Camelot in contrast to the demons that drove Willie Stark to corruption and death? Jessica, the English teacher, was
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GPS: The Magazine | Summer 2015
a gifted guide in the search for answers that had value in relationship to the text AND to life. Critical thinking skills garner a mention in most lesson plans today, but Jessica Good always challenged young women to “show me; don’t tell me.” There were seldom questions in her classroom that could be easily answered. After sharing classes and classrooms, goals and objectives, passions and frustrations, I know what the GPS family and I will miss. We’ll miss her often-contradictory stances. She pushed for academic rigor and excellence while nurturing students whose paths required individualized instruction and additional emotional support. As English department chair, she applauded the classics while encouraging the use of contemporary novels and global tomes. A former athlete and coach, she never lost sight of the value of teamwork, yet she also knew that life’s most difficult decisions are individual choices. It was important that “her girls” know how to weigh the factors, evaluate alternative solutions, choose the best option, and then work to solve the problem. We will miss Jessica Good’s commitment to young women. She always argued that each individual is an important part of the GPS family fabric, and she lived her GPS life reinforcing that belief.
Betty Jo Horton
By Debbie Glasscock, Middle School Dean of Students When Betty Jo Horton came to GPS in January 1983, Rita Wilson, then head of the Math Department, put her to work preparing girls for math contests. For their first outing, they took a van with 12 girls. They lost in all categories. Betty Jo analyzed the contest problems and planned strategies for the girls to practice. As the math contest club grew, they needed a full-sized bus in which to travel. They would leave town before dawn, but the lights of the bus would be on while the girls worked on problems. One year, the girls took first place in every category and brought home several individual trophies. Betty Jo told the bus driver he would need to add air to the tires due to all that extra weight!
With her ability to teach such an abstract subject to her young students, she was unsurpassed. During Betty Jo’s first 25 years at GPS, the SAT math average scores increased every year. The main component of the SAT at the time was Algebra I, and Betty Jo was the teacher. With her ability to teach such an abstract subject to her young students, she was unsurpassed.