THREE TO BE HONORED BY TEACHERS

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Three area educators will be honored during the 115th annual Southeast Missouri District Teachers Association meeting to be held March 15.

An estimated 3,000 teachers from 79 school districts in Southeast Missouri will attend the meeting at the Show Me Center. Doris Ford, speech therapist in the Cape Girardeau Public Schools, is the current president of the association.

William C. Hoover of Southeast Missouri State University, Barbara Jean Klein of the Perryville School District and Virginia Eloise Marsh of the Sikeston School District are scheduled to be honored for meritorious service.

A businessman, Mike Smith, will serve as keynote speaker at the morning session. Smith will discuss ways schools can "sell" education to students, faculties and communities. Smith operates a business that sells motivational, leadership and self-esteem products for schools and businesses.

At the morning session, the All-District Band will perform and Congressman Bill Emerson will present the winners of the Eighth District art competition.

In the afternoon, teachers will meet in small groups for workshops on particular topics.

In addition to being recognized during the business session Friday, the three meritorious-service award winners will be honored at a dinner Thursday night.

During his 40 years in education, Bill Hoover has had one goal: "To make people happy is an ultimate goal for my life. For when I make people happy, I am happy. And happiness is the greatest measure of success."

Hoover has worked at Southeast Missouri State University as director of the Teacher Admission Program. He also supervised student teachers and has received the College Merit Award.

Hoover began his career teaching social studies, biology and physical education. He was also a coach. Later he became an elementary school principal and director of elementary education. He also served as a superintendent before coming to the university.

He has been active in the Missouri State Teachers Association, Community Teachers Association, national and state associations for supervision and curriculum development, national and state middle school associations, and national and district elementary school principals associations.

He has been the association adviser since 1976. He has also been adviser for the Student Missouri State Teachers Association at the university for 12 years.

After teaching second grade for 23 years in Perryville, Barbara Klein decided to change professions. No longer a classroom teacher, she is now the elementary counselor the only counselor serving about 1,000 students.

A 1962 graduate of Southeast Missouri State University, Klein has been involved in the Missouri State Teachers Association, Community Teachers Association, the local chapter of Alpha Delta Kappa international honorary society for women educators, Missouri Counselors' Association and Southeast Missouri Counselors' Association.

Klein was chairman of a committee that developed a plan for teaching study skills to children from kindergarten through fifth grade. This plan has been presented to other districts.

Virginia Marsh has taught in the Sikeston district for 25 years, three at the elementary level and 22 at the middle school level.

She has served as president of the local Community Teachers Association. She was chosen Phi Delta Kappa National Teacher of the Year in 1989 and received the Outstanding Award for Conservation Education in 1990 from the Missouri Department of Conservation.

She was instrumental in developing a science fair for the Sikeston Middle School. She has written curriculum guides for both the state and Sikeston schools.

She plans to retire at the end of this school year.

President-elect of the Southeast District Missouri State Teachers Association, Sheryl Smith of East Prairie, was scheduled to take over the presidency of the organization at Friday's meeting. However, she was called to active duty in Operation Desert Storm in January.

Established in 1856, the Missouri State Teachers Association is the state's oldest and largest educational association. It has more than 30,000 members statewide. The Southeast District has 4,000 members.