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Schools

Lettering in dedication

The principal of Largo Middle surprises those who have been there 15 years or more by creating a club to honor their service.

By DONNA WINCHESTER
Published December 9, 2005

LARGO - Largo Middle School principal Fred Ulrich wanted Tuesday to be a day his staff members would never forget.

So instead of the faculty meeting they were expecting, he brought in two chefs to prepare made-to-order omelets. He invited district dignitaries, former teachers and past principals, and asked all of them to be at school at 8:15 a.m. sharp.

Midway through breakfast, Ulrich announced the real reason he had called them together.

"We want to make sure we recognize, honor and give you tribute," he told the staff members. Then he explained that he was creating a club called the Largo Legends for employees who have been at the school 15 years or more.

Ulrich called 26 of them, including two secretaries and the cafeteria manager, to the front of the room. He draped a black-and-orange letter jacket, the type football players wear, over each person's shoulders.

Suddenly, it all made sense to Leslie Pohley, a science teacher who came to Largo Middle as an intern 29 years ago.

"Oh, what a stinker he is," she said, recalling how Ulrich had asked her to come to his office several weeks ago. He had told her a friend of his who owned a sporting goods store was seeking teachers' opinions on letter jackets.

Ulrich insisted Pohley try on a jacket. When she wasn't looking, he made a note of her size. Then he had the year she came to Largo Middle embroidered on a patch on the jacket's sleeve.

He did the same for 25 others, including Charles Bell, a 26-year Largo Middle veteran who helped the school win a district basketball championship last year, and Gerry Andruszko, the school's secretary for 24 years.

After the jackets had been distributed, the rest of the staff gave the new Largo Legends a standing ovation. "We have enough team members to form our own football team," Pohley said.

When the applause died down, Jade Moore, executive director of the Pinellas Classroom Teachers Association, addressed the group. Moore, who taught at the school in the 1970s, thanked the staff members for their service.

"I thank you on behalf of the union, but more importantly, I thank you on behalf of the kids," Moore said.

A couple of teachers wiped away tears as they left the cafeteria to greet their students. Others couldn't stop smiling.

"This, to me, is a terrific morale booster," said Pat Clark, a reading and language arts teacher who has worked at Largo Middle for 29 years. "It lets the teachers know that what they're doing is appreciated."

Joyce Hulslander, who has been a social studies teacher at the school for 18 years, said she couldn't believe her principal had gone to such lengths.

"Nobody has ever done anything like this for us," she said.

Ulrich stood on the sideline and took it all in. "A million dollars couldn't have bought this much fun for me," he said. "I just wanted to let them know we wouldn't be the same without them."

Gerry Andruszko

Marilyn Banks

Charles Bell

Bruce Camfield

Grace Cerniglia

Pat Clark

Judy Davis

Karen Dobosz Richard Eames

Linda Farrell

Patricia Hanna

Dahlia Harrison

Joyce Hulslander

Mary Lou Johnson

Barbara Koroknay

Peter Lambert

Jerilyn Mayer

Marcia Pagnotta

Leslie Pohley

John Pukas

Anna Quattrone

Judith Roe

Dorothy Storm

William Tyler

Larry Underwood

Martha White

[Last modified December 9, 2005, 01:19:17]