Festive Christmas Meeting Held

The St. Tammany Retired School Employees Association met Thursday, with more than 70 members turning out for the festive Christmas luncheon despite the drizzling rain.

Music was provided by Talented Music Teacher Mel Rogers of Covington High and three of his Covington High music students. They entertained the group with a variety of Christmas songs. 

Members enjoyed a report on the recent Home Tour of Houmas House held the week before, where 41 members participated. The group made $139 from the trip, which will go into the Educational Scholarship Fund. 

Jack Loup announced there would be no legislatve meeting in January, so the group will hold its next meeting next March, according to Donna Harvin, President. 

Lunch was served

How many words can you make using the
letters from the phrase: Merry Christmas?

Music provided by CHS Mel Rogers and three of his students

Covington High School retirees at the meeting

To see even more photos, click on this link 

for a PDF File.

Spotlight on Paul Bowman

     Our Spotlight shines this month on an educator who has dedicated his career to making sure his students were never bullied!  Why?  Because he knows exactly what it feels like to be picked on as a child!  

     Paul Bowman was born in Frankfurt, Indiana.  He was the 6th of nine children.  The first eight (Max, Dale, Glen, Rex, Mark, Paul, Karl, and Gene) were all boys and Number 9 (Lois) was the lone girl!  But at birth Paul had a problem with the growth of his neck muscles which caused him to develop a severe stutter.  He became a victim of teasing and bullying by other children.  

     Paul remembers he drew his strength from the singer Mel Tillis who had a severe stutter when he spoke but could sing perfectly without stuttering.  This gave Paul hope, as well as the story that Moses was also a stutterer.  He figured if they could overcome obstacles, he could, too!  And with the help of several surgeries as a child, his stuttering was virtually eliminated!

     Following in the footsteps of his hardworking farming parents, Paul’s first job was at age seven, mowing the grass of a retired school teacher with a push lawnmower.  At age eleven, he became a farm hand, milking cows and driving a tractor for 50 cents an hour!  In later years, he became a laborer at a Firestone tire factory and an ammonia company.

     After high school, Paul left Indiana for Southeastern Louisiana College in Hammond, LA where his older brothers Rex and Glen, who had received a full basketball scholarship, attended.  Paul participated in track and field events and graduated from Southeastern Louisiana University in 1970.  

     Although he returned to Indiana to teach science and physical education for nine years, he eventually settled in St. Tammany Parish where he taught for 30 years at Fifth Ward Junior High.  During that tenure, Paul taught life, earth and physical sciences as well as physical education.  He also coached football, basketball, volleyball, track and served as the Athletic Director.

     Retiring in 2011, Paul worked with five principals during his time at Fifth Ward:  Coyt Woods, Bruce Davis, Bill Brugman, Brandon Clanton and Jimmy Smith.  

     During these years as a teacher, Paul was also busy being a father to two sons, Adam and Derek, a step-daughter Kelli and a step-son David.  He married his current wife, the former Debra Booth from Covington in 2000.  Now he is busy being the ultimate grandfather to grandson Michael, age 15, and granddaughters Kaitlin, age 13, twin 5-year-olds Ava and Alexa, Beckett, age 2 and one on the way in June!

     While Paul is officially retired from the school system, he is still very much involved with many of the sideline activities he participated in for many years.  He has been a major figure in promoting the annual Punt/Pass and Kick contests in this area where he was recently the Head Official at the National Punt/Pass and Kick contest at the Saints Facility earlier this month. 

     Paul is one of the main officials in Track and Field meets at LSU and various universities as well as the high school championship meets.  He also coordinates, officiates and participates in the Louisiana Senior Olympic Games.

     And in his spare time, he drives a charter bus!  A lot!  He has been a certified charter bus driver for 38 years and is also a tour director for KOA Campgrounds.  He is still a full-time driver during the summer and on holidays and has been all over the United States!

     When asked what was his favorite trip while driving the charter bus, he said it was the school trips he would take with his students from Fifth Ward exploring the historic sites in Philadelphia, New York City and Washington DC.  This was a tradition every three years for many years at that school.  He cherishes the note he received from a grown man who thanked him years later for one of those trips because the man had never gone out of state again.

     This is also a very busy time of year for Paul because he creates handmade wooden Christmas ornaments for about 80 of his closest family members!  From cutting the figures out of wood to carefully painting each by hand, Paul celebrates the season with his own version of a street car, a fleur-de-lis or the St. Louis Cathedral.  He then thoughtfully wraps each one and mails them to his siblings, nieces and nephews just in time for Christmas.

     Paul enjoys meeting with what he calls the Senior Coffee Club each Monday and Wednesday around 7:45am at McDonalds in Covington.  Favorite restaurants that he and his wife Debra enjoy are Chick-Fil-A, Copelands and Texas Roadhouse.  His favorite TV show is NCIS-New Orleans, and his favorite movie is The Christmas Story.

     Paul’s bucket list includes a trip to Alaska, one of the few states he has yet to visit.  Upon reflecting on the sixth son of a farmer in Indiana, and what that little boy with a stutter has grown up to accomplish, there is no doubt that Paul will make it to Alaska soon!  And he will probably be distributing Christmas ornaments while he drives a charter bus to get there just in time to officiate a track meet!

Project Christmas Gift Ideas For Dec. 13

Retired school employees will once again be taking part in "Project Christmas" by bringing donated gifts to the group's December 13 meeting.

The STRSEA will be holding it's Annual Christmas Meeting and Luncheon for all members on December 13, beginning with a special guest performance at 10:00 a.m,  Participants are asked to contribute an appetizer, vegetable or desert for this Pot Luck Event.  Donna Harvin, president, said, "We will be collecting new toys for Project Christmas including items for children, teens, and the elderly.  We hope you can attend and join us in some holiday cheer." 

Suggested gift deals overall include

Art Set/Art supplies
Bath Set
Bath Toy
Bike/Scooter/Ripstick
Board Games/Card Games
Books
Building Blocks
Camera w/San Disk Memory Card
CD Player
Chemistry Set
Clothes
Comforter Set/Sheets – size & color/pattern
Craft Kits/Model Kits
Dolls/Accessories
Dress-up Clothes with size
DVD Player-Portable ($60+) or TV connected
Easy Bake Oven/Age Appropriate
Educational Toys
Hair Products – specify type
Head Phones (Generic)/Ear buds
Jewelry
Kitchen Play Set
Legos

Make-up – specify type and colors
MP3 Player w/Google play card
Musical Toys
Perfume/Cologne
Puzzles
Race Car Set
Radio
Remote Control Toys
Skates – specify size
Socks/Fuzzy Socks
Sports Balls/Equipment
Stuffed Animals
Trains
Trucks
Wallet
Watch
Gift Cards – Barnes&Noble, Bath & Body
Works, Books-A-Million, Game Stop,
Google Play, Movie theater, I-Tunes,

Suggested gifts for teens include

Anything Saints/Pelicans - hats,
footballs, basketballs, accessories
Art sets/Art supplies
Bath towel sets (color)
Belts (Size)
Board games for older kids like Battleship, Jenga, Monopoly
Bulletin boards, decorations for a room (color)
Comforter sets/Sheets (Specify size and color)
Duffle bags
Electric razor
ENO hammock
Fishing pole
Fleece throws (color)
Gift box sets for :
Bath accessories
Colognes
Nails
Young men’s toiletries
Hair accessories - bows, ribbons, etc.
Hats/gloves/scarves/caps
Jewelry / jewelry boxes
Keychain
Makeup kits (teens)
Models
Oil diffusers

Personal journal or diary
Sleep wear
Slippers (Specify size)
Socks/fun socks/athletic
Sports balls - footballs, basketballs, volleyballs, soccer
Sweaters/zippered jackets (Specify Size)
Throw pillows (color)
Ties – young men’s
Wallets/purses/wristlets
Water bottles/cups
Watch

Gift Cards
Barnes & Noble
Bath & Body Works
Books-A-Million
Game Stop
Google Play
I-Tunes
Movie theater
Ulta

NO big box stores giftcards like Walmart or Target. 

Suggested gifts for seniors:

Belts (Specify size)
Clothing (Specify size)
Comforter Sets/Sheets-Size and
color/pattern
Dishes
Electric Razor
Fleece Throws
Gift box sets for Nails, cologne or bath  accessories
Gift Box Sets of Toiletries/Cologne
Hats/gloves/scarves
Hats- ball caps, knit
Jewelry / jewelry boxes
Pots/pans
Robe (Specify size)
Rugs (Specify size)
Sleep wear (Specify size)
Small Appliances – toaster, coffee pot,can opener
Socks
Sweaters/zippered jacket – Specify size

Throw pillows
Ties
Towels
Wallets/purses/wristlets
Watch
Gift Cards
Barnes & Noble
Bath & Body Works

Books-A-Million

Plantation Tour Planned

STRSEA is sponsoring a bus trip to the Houma's House Plantation and Gardens for members and their guests.  If you are interested, please see the poster below for information and respond to Roxanne Lagarde @lagarderoxanne@gmail.com with any questions.

Click here for the flyer in PDF format.

"Don't miss out on this fun event.  Get your tickets today!  

Spotlight on Lyn Monteleone

When we hear the word Magnolia, we often think of something beautiful, sweet and gentle.  How fitting that the next person to be in the Spotlight was born in a town called Magnolia!  Magnolia, Arkansas!

Yes, Lyn Monteleone comes to us in a roundabout way from that small town in Arkansas.  As the oldest of four girls, Lynda Ketteringham moved around quite a bit as a child.  Lyn’s father, an engineer in the oil field and then in the burgeoning space program, worked in numerous locations after leaving Magnolia.  

Lyn attended schools in Shreveport, Florida, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, and finally in Slidell.  Here she asked her parents to please let her get to know her classmates and graduate with friends.  And they did!  Lyn is a proud graduate of Slidell High School, as were two of her sisters, Genie and Georgia.

After graduating from high school in 1966, Lyn attended Southeastern Louisiana College and lived in Cardinal Newman Hall.  In 1968, she wound up on a blind date with a guy from Covington and his buddy Bill Brady.  The blind date was Lennie Monteleone and the rest was history!  Lyn and Lennie were married in 1969.   

Together Lyn and Lennie raised two boys, Paul and Payton.  Paul lives in Zachary and works as an account manager for the State Department of Education Community and Technical Schools and has two girls, Maddie, 15, and Sarah, 4.  Payton is an assistant principal at Lee Road Jr High where his two children, Sophia, 11, and Luca, 8, attend school.  This makes it very convenient for Lyn to carry out some of her grandmother duties at a school close to home in Lee Road.

While Lyn’s first job was babysitting at age 12, she has held a variety of positions throughout her career.  After receiving a degree from Meadows Draughon Business College, Lyn worked at Slidell Memorial Hospital in Medical Records and as the administrative assistant to Johnny Bankston at the Agricultural Extension Service.  

Eventually, she began working for St. Tammany Parish School System as secretary to Richard Tanner, para-professional at Covington Elementary, and then secretary at Covington High School for 18 years!  After that, Sylvia Dunn needed her to help run Food Services, so she worked clerical in that department for six more years.

While Lyn is officially retired now, she is still working!  She tries to follow a schedule with Mondays dedicated to volunteering at Monteleone Junior High.  On Tuesdays, she works with the Student Assistance Team at Lee Road Junior High in the morning and does gardening there in the afternoon.  

Wednesdays are devoted to the Master Gardening organization.  She keeps Thursdays open for the St. Tammany Retiree School Employees Association where she is 1st Vice President-Membership, and on Fridays, she is often found substituting at Lee Road Jr High.  This does not sound like the schedule of a retired person!
  
However, Lyn has carved out some time to do a few things for fun.  She’s been on cruises to Alaska and Hawaii.  She went on a Disney Cruise with her family and even was able to take a trip to Paris!  She enjoys going to see the Christmas lights in Natchitoches. 

 And one of her favorite things to do was visit her grandmother’s family home on Tybee Island, Georgia.  Her beloved grandmother was a school principal and a college teacher, so it seems Lyn was destined to live in a family of educators.

Lyn spends her small amount of free time these days tending her chickens, gardening, visiting her sister in Slidell, and passing time with her old buddy Bill Brady and his wife Angela and friends Paula and Jim Fauntleroy.

When asked about her still busy schedule involved with the school system, Lyn replied, “I miss the family atmosphere.  How can you step away from something that you love?!?”      
We are so happy that you have not stepped away!  Lyn, please stand while we thank you for your many years of service to STPSB!

STRSEA To Honor Veterans

The next meeting of the St. Tammany Retired School Employees Association will be held on Thursday, November 8, at 10 a.m. at the Treen Technology Center, 2024 Livingston Street, Mandeville. 

The Association invites all school system retirees to our November meeting and Health Fair on November 8 at the Treen Technology Center on Livingston Street in Mandeville. For more information, call 985-502-9501. We hope to see you there.

This meeting will include our annual Health Fair where you may choose to receive your flu shot and participate in demonstrations along with receiving information in regard to healthy living presentated by Humana.  

Social hour and the administration of flu shots will begin at 9:30 a.m. with the meeting starting at 10:00 a.m.  If you plan on participating, please bring a photocopy of your insurance card.  There is no charge for this preventative shot.  

Since this is also our last meeting before Thanksgiving, please bring a non-perishable item for the Samaritan center.

We will be selling tickets for a December 5th trip to Houma's House Plantation via a Hotard's motor coach.  The cost of the trip will be $45.00, which includes transportation and tour of the house.  Lunch will be Dutch Treat at The Cabin restaurant.  The sale will be limited to members and a guest with only 55 tickets being sold on first come, first sold basis.  Come and get your tickets while they last.  

The meeting will include our annual Health Fair where you may choose to receive your flu shot and participate in demonstrations along with receiving information in regard to healthy living presented by Humana. Social hour and the administration of flu shots will begin a 9:30 a.m. with the meeting starting at 10:00 a.m. Since this is also our last meeting before Thanksgiving, please bring a non-perishable item for the Samaritan Center. 

1st Meeting Draws 97 Retired Employees

The St. Tammany Retired School Employees Association held its first meeting of the school year on Thursday, September 13, with Superintendent of Schools Trey Folse giving his yearly School System update. He was accompanied by Associate Superintendent Pete Jabbia, now in his 50th year with the system.

Here are some photographs. Click on them to make them larger.

Association Officers Pose with Superintendent Folse

From left, President-elect Eric Sacks, President Donna Addison Harvin, Folse, Secretary Roxanne LaGarde, First Vice President Lyn Monteleone and Treasurer Ron Caruso. 

Donna Addison Harvin, president, welcomed those in attendance. The meeting took place in the old gym conference center at the David Treen Instructional Technology Center in Mandeville. 

A special invitation went out to those School System employees who are newly-retired. They were treated to an early breakfast before the meeting started, with President Harvin then presenting an overview of what the association does, its goals and accomplishments.

Superintendent Folse and Donna Addison Harvin

Superintendent Folse spoke on a number of topics, including the addition of School Resource Officers (law enforcement officers) to enhance school security and providing Mental Health Counselors on the campuses of all schools this year. 

The theme of the School System this year is "We Will," and each month has a new "We Will" motto to focus on. 

Past president Roxanne LaGarde, at right, was presented a plaque of appreciation for serving as the chief officer of the group for the past two years. Lyn Monteleone, at left, made the presentation. 

Newly-retired School System employees were recognized by standing up and they were thanked for their years of dedication with applause.

Jack Loup gave the special legislative report, noting upcoming bills that will affect retired employees and their right to return-to-work if desired.

Organization T-Shirts were available

Superintendent Folse went around the room and personally greeted a number of retired employees.

It was a great opportunity to get out and visit with friends and former colleagues. 

The St. Tammany Federal Credit Union was on hand to conduct its regular prize drawings to the delight of attendees. 

Pete Jabbia, left, now with 50th years with the School System, is welcomed by Bill Brady.

Another prize drawing happy winner

Several yearbooks were given away to those who wanted them