CLUB HONORS TEACHERS — The Woman’s Club of Steubenville met for its monthly meeting on May 5 at Scaffidi’s Restaurant and Tavern. Guest speaker for the afternoon was Michelle Fabbro, a retired teacher from the Indian Creek Local School District. Fabbro was asked to speak in recognition of National Teacher Appreciation Week, which was celebrated from May 5 through Friday. Those taking part in the meeting included, from left, member Charlotte Christian, Fabbro and member Kimberly Hahn. -- Julie Stenger

STEUBENVILLE — Members of the Woman’s Club of Steubenville met for their monthly meeting at Scaffidi’s Restaurant and Tavern on Monday afternoon.

Prior to lunch, two area seniors were each presented with a $1,000 scholarship in which to continue their education following graduation.

Treasurer Cookie West introduced Chandler Hoffman and Nina Holt to those gathered around the table. West announced the seniors attend Steubenville High School and submitted impressive essays when applying for the scholarships.

Officials commented the club has always gifted a scholarship to one student from SHS and one student from Catholic Central High School. This year, however, the club did not receive any applications from Central, and therefore, awarded two Steubenville High students with the monies.

Hoffman plans to attend Carnegie Mellon University for civil engineering, while Holt will attend the Ohio State University for music education.

Holt noted her appreciation for the opportunity to apply for the scholarship, thanking the club members for their generosity. She commented the Steubenville community is why she wants to become a music educator and help give back to others.

Hoffman expressed his gratitude for the gift, exclaiming the award will help with his future plans. He stated he hopes to continue to give back to young people and assist them in continuing their dreams, just as the woman’s club is helping him to continue his dreams.

Club member Saundra Palmer was in attendance for the first time since last year, following her inability to travel following surgery. Released the other day, she made an appearance at the meeting, with those in attendance noting they were happy to have her back. Palmer, who usually assisted in the selecting of the scholarship recipients, stated she was pleased at the club’s choices.

“I am happy you got the scholarships,” she told Hoffman and Holt. “I was an educator for 38 years and I always enjoyed what I did.”

Monday’s guest speaker was another former teacher, Michelle Fabbro, who retired from the Indian Creek Local School District.

President Iris Craig commented Fabbro was selected as this month’s speaker in recognition of National Teacher Appreciation Week, which began May 5 and concluded on Friday. Fabbro addressed those in attendance, explaining the differences in teaching today as to when she first when to school to receive her permanent license. She touched on the subject of instilling in children the importance of watching what you post online if you want to become not only an educator, but to hold any profession in the future.

Fabbro stated she cannot stress this fact enough, because what one posts online is there forever and employers will search your history to ensure you are the candidate they want to hire.

Members of the woman’s club listened as the woman who taught kindergarten through 12th grade during her career, with the exception of second grade, recalled a time when she had 86 students in her classroom. Fabbro said the class of children had to be broken up into morning and afternoon classes, with still not enough chairs to house everybody. She joked she hoped two students would be absent so as to have enough seats.

Grants were not available when she began teaching at the age of 20. She brought in toys her sisters had once used, such as tea sets and books. Fabbro said being a teacher is the most rewarding job there is and there are so many benefits to becoming one. The only exception she mentioned was the fact that teachers do not make a lot of money, so anyone wanting a career that will make them wealthy should not choose this occupation. The benefits to teaching are many, she told the women, including having the opportunity to travel, flexible schedules and being off on the days when your children are off from school.

“You are constantly still learning as a teacher,” she commented. She spoke on open enrollment, saying she remembers when the superintendent came into the room and announced how any student from another district would be able to come to Indian Creek. She then said that also means that any student was able to leave the district and go elsewhere.

Fabbro said it felt as if this change was taking away their community. Other changes she spoke of included cell phones in classrooms, the Internet, social media and how the family unit has changed.

She revisited how approximately 25 percent of the children she taught were being raised by their grandparents. She laughed when she told the group how a bus driver was the best teacher’s aide she ever had.

Fabbro concluded her talk by saying she would recommend a teaching career to anybody.

“The rewards are something you could never put a price tag on,” she concluded. Club members applauded the former teacher’s presenation, thanking her for her thoughts and for providing facts which they had not known.