Franklin B. Walter Banquet Honorees

A few weeks ago, I told you about staff member Holly Kobee’s selection as the Defiance County Special Education Teacher of the Year. Mrs. Kobee was honored at the Franklin B. Walter Banquet, held at our Educational Service Center in Archbold. Also honored at this banquet was our Franklin B. Walter scholarship award winner, Joey Adams, and teacher Bob Pelton.

The Franklin B. Walter All Scholastic Achievement Award was established in 1990 by the Ohio

Educational Service Center Association to recognize an outstanding senior from each school within the

State of Ohio. Eligible students must demonstrate outstanding academic achievement as indicated by high

school grades, test scores and awards. The award honors Franklin B. Walter, who served as state superintendent from March 1977 until August 1991. Joey Adams was the Hicksville Senior honored at our annual banquet.

As part of the awards program, our Educational Service Center invites each Senior to pay tribute to a teacher who has had an impact on that student’s education career. The teacher is also invited to the awards program and is recognized along with the student. This year, Joey chose Mr. Bob Pelton as the teacher he wanted to honor. In his tribute to Mr. Pelton, Joey wrote the following:

“At first this seemed like an impossible task; picking a favorite out of all the teachers that Hicksville Schools has was daunting. Then, I realized that I was reading it (the directions) wrong. My objective was to pick the teacher that influenced my successes the most. Without hesitation, I chose Mr. Robert Pelton.

Mr. Pelton stretches students’ minds and imaginations. He has the habit of starting discussions that might not relate to the lesson, but are important, nonetheless. Through these talks, I began to develop a better a sense of the world and a hunger for more knowledge. Also, Mr. Pelton’s wide array of experiences has given him plenty of wisdom, which he offers to his students if they will listen to it.

More than that, though, is the simple fact that Mr. Pelton has a passion for his job that is rarely seen. He cares about his students as if they were his own children. I have been blessed to have a teacher like Mr. Pelton, and I firmly hope that he will continue to inspire children like he has me.”

Joey’s words are a fitting tribute to Mr. Pelton. And may I add my own in noting that at the March 29th board meeting, Mr. Pelton shared an overview of the Adult Education/GED program which has been held at Hicksville Schools for many years. Mr. Pelton has been an instructor in the program for over twenty years. Each year, Mr. Pelton works with about 35 to 40 students not only to help them prepare to take the GED, but also to help them improve their skills in a variety of other areas. In the Adult Education/GED program, Mr. Pelton helps students with getting ready for college admission, improving reading skills, reviewing resume´s, learning basic computer skills, and registering to vote. Every Tuesday and Thursday, after Mr. Pelton spends his day providing excellence for the students of Hicksville Schools, he then gives several more hours teaching adult learners as part of the Adult Education/GED program. He won’t readily offer this information, but I will tell you that typically 100% of his students pass their GED test, which is no easy task.

Congratulations to Joey Adams for being our school’s Franklin B. Walter award winner for 2010, and congratulations to Mr. Bob Pelton for being recognized by Joey as one of Hicksville’s outstanding teachers. If one indicator of being a great educator is making the world around you a better place, then Mr. Pelton meets that criterion in many great ways. Mr. Pelton continues to positively impact the lives not only of our students but also of the many adults he works with in the evenings. And we’re a better world because of it.