JFK community remembers longtime teacher Retter St. John By Monica Stark editor@valcomnews.com
John F. Kennedy High School lost longtime teacher Retter St. John early May 29 at 68 years of age. At 21 years of age she was offered the position of Science Teacher at John F. Kennedy High School, where she taught for a record-shattering 47 years. A science teacher extraordinaire, she inspired more than three generations of students and staff with her steady presence, passion, integrity, and, above all else, a deep concern for her students, who left her classroom each June as bet-
“She taught them to dream big, reach high, and never settle for anything less than their personal best.” ter students, citizens, and humans. Retter was beloved and will be sorely missed by many family members and friends in Louisiana, Georgia, Florida and California. She graduated from high school at 16, and continued her education at Southern University in Baton Rouge. St. John was a first-year teacher when she started her career at Kennedy in Sep-
(Some Restrictions Apply) Expires 6/30/18 PN
tember 1971. At that time, the school was relatively new, having opened in September 1967. After nearly 47 years in the classroom, she had been eligible to retire for many years. The fact that she continued to teach reflected her intense commitment, passion, and love for the subject, school, and its students. Based on site records, she taught Molecular Biology during the vast majority of her career. Her credential allowed her to teach Biology as well, and early documents show she had an interest in computers. After so many years, her impact is, of course, far reaching and immense having touched several generations. Thousands of students passed through her classroom, and they report a similar experience: she taught them to dream big, reach high, and never settle for anything less than their personal best. Many current students have family who attended Kennedy, and they too had Ms. St. John as a teacher. Her concern for students never lessened; even when she was no longer able to be in the classroom with her students, she frequently continued to inquire about their progress, plan lessons, and grade work. She passed after a short illness. She was a deeply pri-
SOLD
PENDING 4
PENDING
Pocket News • June 22, 2018 • www.valcomnews.com
PENDING
vate person, and she maintained a small circle of close friends she considered to be family. Her death has come as a surprise to many as there was little warning. Jason Eusebi,who worked with Retter from 1999 until 2008 - during part of that time as Activities Director, remembers back in 2008 at a pep rally, students saluted JFKs longest tenured teachers. “Retter walked out onto the basketball floor to the song ‘Bad to the Bone.’ She had replaced the white lab coat with a pair of dark sunglasses, a black leather jacket and a pair of jeans. We really wanted to get her to ride in on a motorcycle. (She) walked slowly to the
K, pointed to the students, then opened up her jacket to reveal the black 2010 on her t-shirt to announce her retirement. The students in both rallies went wild! Well, she always had that commitment to teaching and raising students and I’m not surprised that she was still doing what she loved at Kennedy - an institution and icon on her own that will be missed. I know she loved teaching and her students. And despite the toughness, her students loved her in return.” Memorial Services will be held at John F. Kennedy High School Auditorium 6715 Gloria Drive, today, June 22, at 3:30 p.m.
SOLD
SOLD
SOLD Valley Community Newspapers, Inc.