Book: Wintersville Citizen

              VOL. 1, NO. 11.                                       THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1963                                $5.00 per year  1C


)c per coI)y


         By Eve Seiter
  My story this week is a love
story of a woman's love of her
work, her love and .understand-
ing of the children it brought
into her life. In 44 years of
teaching Miss Ethel Mae Dunn
brought this love to bear gent-
ly but firmly upon the hun-
dreds of children who streamed
in and out of the sixth grade of
Wintersvlle Elementary School.
She is quick to tell you that
there i::s o story here but this
writer agrees  with    William
Penn that "Sense shines with a
double lustre when set in hu-
  mility".
  Ethel Mae Dunn never want-
  ed to become anything but a
  teacher. Perhaps the seed of
  desire was sown by her parents
  in the farmhouse home where
  four generations of the family
  had lived. If so, Miss Dunn was
  not conscious of it but to this
  day she believes that parents
  are the best teachers, her own
  or any child's. To fill the void
  in homelife created by over-
  burdened parents who may fail
  in this challenge. Miss Dunn
  feels that school rooms should
  become "homey". She believes
  that the physical environment
  of children in school should
  point their thoughts toward
  beauty, love of God and coun-
  try and respect for one another.
  Room No. 205 of the Winters-
  ville Elementary School, home
  of the sixth grade, gradually
  took on this atmosphere. It be-
  gan with Paper Drive awards
  but was carried forward through
  the years by PTA efforts and
  stamp redemption premiumns.
  An lice cream and cake party
  was the   usual Paper Drive
  award for the class making the
  greatest haul. Miss Dunn and
  her children decided instead to
  beautify "their room". They be-
  gan a program    of ,carefully
saving for and choosing their
possessions with   an eye for
beauty and inspiration.
   The motif at the front of the
 classroom symbolized our coun-
 try's message. A fresh American
 flag always stood there, re-
 placed when it became dingy or
 tattered. The picture of the Pil-
 grim Fathers, handpainted in
 color, suggested  freedom   of


thought while The Spirit of '7G
served to remind the children
that though we do not believe
in belligerence we will always
figHlht for our country..


  Reproductions of the famous
children, Peter and Charlotte,
adorned the: walls. A picture of
the twelve year old Jesus in the
Temple reminded the children
that Jesus was just their age at
the tiume of this great adven-
ture.
  Teachers require inspiration,
too. A Shepherdess Leading Her
Flock hung on the rear wall
facing  the   teacher, It was
flanked by a corner cupboard
which was purchased to replace
the open shelves for books. An
overflow   of more than     200
books filled the cupboard which
added grace and hominess to
the schoolroom. The top panel
of the corner cupboard was so
plain that the class decided to
hang a valuable plaque there.
The plaque depicted a Puritan
girl at her spinning but it came
to a grevious end! During one
of the few noticeable lapses of
discipline a group of students
became too rambunctious dur-
ing lunch hour. The plaque was
broken and the children were
stricken. Eventually the acci-
dent brought about the com-
plete harmony of room No. 20 .
The class had never been quite
satisfied with the choice of the
plaque for the cupboard. It was
now replaced with the Ameri-
can eagle, wings outstretched,
carved from the same natural
wood of the cupboard.
  The "Mothers" chair was a
major purchase for which the
class saved for two years. It
cost $40.00 and was purchased
that the class might offer a
visiting Mother a comfortable
chair suited to her stature. The
chair stood 'hospitably waiting
to receive visiting Mothers but
served in another capacity, too.
Whenever a child suffered from
a headache, toothache or an
earache he was permitted a re-
spite in the "Mothers'" chair.
Strangely   enough   the  chair
seemed to possess therapeutic
power and the child usually re-
turned improved to his class in
short order!
  Miss Dunn is proud of the
desks in room    No. 205. The
class worked, played and for
many years, ate upon their
desks but no desk was ever de-
faced. The few scratches and


cuts were the result of livirn
with the furniture.
Miss Dunn smiled wryly as she
recalled that the condition of
the  furniture  was a    mixed


blessing. The desks were in
such good repair that room No.
205 did not receive the cheery,
new, blonde furniture which
was later installed. Miss Dunn
never found it too difficult to
teach her children to care for
their desks.
  ,That the room was influen-
tial 1is evident in the hap'iness,
progress and order of the class.
The   sixth  grade   became   a
small democracy with officers
and representatives elected by
ballot. A president, vice-presi-
dent and secretary were elected
along with five representatives,
one from each row of children
                      "gh their
               , D     ss made
                      'icers, in
p1 roe. urd  ,     i1dduring
any necessary absence' of the
teacher. Honor Roll students
became "Student" teachers dur-
ing a certain week in April,
prepared for the task by Miss
Dunn. Upon one occasion of a
substitute   teacher   shortage
when Miss Dunn was ill the
Principal allowed her class to
function under its Student Gov-
ernment, occasionally looking
in to assure himself that all
was well. His report was that
throughout one entire teacher-
less day   there  was perfect
order!,
   Ethel Mae Dunn retired a
little over a year ago and an-
other fine teacher fell heir to
room No. 205, the home of the
sixth grade. Miss Dunn contin-
ues to be fascinated with the
progress of education. After 44
years of vital experience her
love affair with education and
children continues. In a little
T I M EL Y SUGGESTIONS
FROM A RETIRED TEACHER,
Miss Dunn expresses her belief
Sthat:
      " .. the spirit which is the
 core and center of all religions
 permeate more of the classroom
 atmosphere. It is not taught by
 the spoken word. It communi-
 cates itself through the under-
 standing smile, the sympathetic
 touch of a loving hand, the
 genuine satisfaction of learn-
 ing how to work, the exhilara-
 tion which comes from a piece
 of work well-done, th8 feeling


of equality among all teachers
and pupils: in short, it is the
spirit of loving-kindness which
God meant to rule the world."
'My story this week is a love
to,'ry, the profile of a teacher.


Profile Of A Teacher



                                                A Love Story


few seconds to clean off win-
dows and lights before pulling
onto the roadway and clean
them   frequently while travel-
'ing. Your safety and the safety
of others in traffic depends up-
on good visibility", he conclud-
ed.


_ _I


State Highway Patrol
         Warns Motorists
  Cars and trucks with dirty
windshields and lights and those
being operated with    parking"
lights only will be stopped by
the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
Sergeant W. C. McCleery, com-
mander of the Steubenville Post
warned today.
  The local Post commander
instructed his Patrol officers to
stop and check vehicles with
dirty  windshields and .lights.
Drivers will be asked to correct
the condition before proceed-
ing. If -negligence is indicated
and the equipment creates a
serious hazard to other motor-
ists, arrests may follow,.
  "And many motorists are for-
getting to turn their headlights
on", Sergeant McCleery, said.
"They think parking lights are
suticient until it's dark. They
are not! Under the state law.
neadlugnts must be turned on
one-half hour after sunset to
one-half hour before siUinrise
and at any other time visibility
is limited. Drying with parking
lights ONLY is illegal and sucn
iiLurisLs may be prosecuted".
  In urging motorists to check
their winter driving habits, the
Sergeant said   muddy, slushy
ono snowy roads are prevalent
at this time of the year. Wind-
snieictds become  diry., Head-
lights, tail lights and turn sig-
nals lose their effectiveness bt-
c;Ltise Oo alriL.
  Colonel Scott B. Radcliffe,
  Patrol Superintendent has asked
the -cooperation of all drivers,
and especially truck and bus
operators, in repeately checking
conditions of all lights and
windows to see the glass is
Kept clean tor good visib.liLy.
  The Sergeant also added tnatr
drlvlng with ice or snow cov-
ered windsnielus or WmueUW s-
a violation. Drivers practicing
these habits are not only com-
mitting a definite traffic vio-
lation but are, at the same time,
creating a hazard for them-
selves and others because of the
restricted visibility.
  "Many tragic highway acci-
  dents are caused by poor driver
  visibility", Sergeant McCleery
said. "The public can help cut
down accidents if they'll take a


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