At the end of this school year, Kelly Lazar, C.A.P.A. Coalition Director; Julie Fields, Intervention Specialist; and Mark Fields, English/History Teacher; will retire from BBHHS. They’ve all been working here for several decades devoting their lives to student education. Now, as they draw the curtain on their teaching careers, they are ready to embark on the next journey of life.
Undoubtedly, BBHHS holds their cherished and vibrant memories, but their lives ahead will be focused on making new memories. The years have slipped by quickly, and there remain so many unspoken words they wish they could share.
Lazar smiles when she mentions her students saying, “My life has been incredibly enriched by the students that I’ve had the pleasure to interact with. They are so smart and engaging. Their willingness to get involved and help others is remarkable, considering all of the other demands of their time. They are some of the brightest and best that I’ve ever worked with in my career. It has been an honor to work with the students at Broadview Brecksville Heights High School. I will miss the energy, the enthusiasm of the students, and the camaraderie and support from the staff and colleagues.”
Mark Fields summarizes his educational career by borrowing a quote from Douglas Adams 1988 novel, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul, saying, “I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.”
Mr. Fields encourages students, to go out of their way offering kindness to everyone. He also says, “Sometimes a difficult problem can be solved by looking at it upside down, like a clock .”
He wants students to remember him as accessible, and know that he truly cared about his students “as humans deserving of kindness and compassion”.
He will miss the spontaneous moments that made each day a little more fulfilling
Julie Fields retiring with her husband, shares her plans explaining, “I look forward to doing a lot of hiking, traveling and taking things slow. Mr. Fields and I love to play chess and garden, so we will be doing a lot of that. We will be going to Ireland this summer and hope to travel to several national parks in the United States in the near future. I will also be spending time doing volunteer work. I serve as a board member for two nonprofit charities and will be able to spend more time working with those. The Rubber City Rock Bank is a nonprofit organization that hosts charity concerts put on by local musicians in the Akron and Cleveland areas and donates the funds to worthy local charities. We are also working on bringing live music to seniors and anyone who is not able to listen to live music for one reason or another. The other charity that I’m working with is called the Big Tree Fitness Deep Roots Initiative. This organization provides financial and community support for young people who have lost a limb through illness or injury.”
Mrs. Fields closes with saying, “I hope my students remember reading and talking about great literature with their classmates. I hope they remember the feeling of contentment they had during meditation Mondays and the “aha” moments that came from keeping a daily gratitude journal or learning something new. [Finally], I hope they remember the moment that they realized they have something important to say as a writer.”
Teaching is a noble profession. On this weighty and far-reaching undertaking of education, dedicated teachers like them are indispensable. It is because of their devotion that students blossom into something truly brilliant.
