Poortvliet & Pidde Honored
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Education Minnesota honored two important Comfrey Public School staff members at the Great Southwest United Recognition Banquet on May 10, 2006, at the Hi-Lo Club in Lakefield. Karen Poortvliet received recognition for being chosen District 81's Teacher of the Year. Janette Pidde was recognized for being the district's "Friend of Education."
Below is a copy of the speech given by CEA Chairperson Laurie Fredin at the banquet to recognize Janette Pidde. Karen Poortvliet's bio is available here.
"Janette Pidde is our Friend of Education for the Comfrey Public School for 2006. She is our guest tonight along with her husband, Dick Pidde. Janette has been employed by our District for 33 years and has many assignments while there. From punching lunch tickets to playground duty, from running millions of copies to calling around for substitute teachers, from delivering the daily announcements with a smile to maintaining the school scrapbook, Janette has done it all. She drove countless students to football practice and other sports practices and special education students to classes in neighboring schools. If you saw our school car, chances are good that Janette was behind the wheel. She is an assistant in the kindergarten and has been for all of her 33 years. Imagine how many times she has helped to tie shoes and to count to 100...Janette also works in the School/Community Library after school hours. With all of these duties, it is no wonder we chose Janette as our Friend of Education! We wish her well and wanted to let all of you know how lucky we are to have her."
"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire."
- William Butler Yeats