june11EHS - East Penn School District

We bid a fond farewell to our retirees...Below are short biographies of the high school teachers who are retiring this year. They have positivelyinfluenced the lives of many young adults throughout their careers. Their colleagues and studentswill miss them, but we wish them well as they embark on new adventures.Keith ButlerKeith Butler taught for thirty-five years. He spent seventeenyears teaching life science and computertechnology at the seventh grade level and eighteenyears teaching biology at the ninth grade level. Aftermoving from the junior high to the high school in1999, he also taught Science, Technology, and Society;Botany and Zoology; and Environmental Scienceat the eleventh and twelfth grade levels.Mr. Butler’s dedication shows in his willingness to providestudents with opportunities to excel. He advisedseveral clubs and activities that allow students to explorethe field of science. Since 2000, he co-advisedthe Envirothon with Steve Baier, a group that placedfirst in the county competition since 1997. Previously,when his son was in high school (1990-1994), he coadvisedthe Parkland Envirothon team, the only LehighCounty team to win the state and national competition.Beginning in 1980, he also served as the PAJr. Academy of Science Science Fair Competition coordinator,always taking students to the state competition.The last several years Emmaus students havealso competed in the Lehigh Valley Science Fair. Thisyear Emmaus High School students entered the DelawareValley competition with eight projects competingagainst 1200 that were submitted from eastern Pennsylvania,New Jersey, and Delaware. Four of thoseeight students received awards for their work. Thenumber of entries and winners are unprecedented inEmmaus High School’s history. Mr. Butler also advisedthe Google Science Fair, which is a new competitionthis year; and in previous years, he has advisedstudents who entered their work in the ToshibaExploravision, Siemens We Can Change the WorldChallenge, NSF Global Challenge, BioGeneius Challenge,Lexus Eco Challenge, Young NaturalistAwards, NASA competitions, the National BiologyOlympiad testing, and Battle of the Brains.Mr. Butler’s dedication and enthusiasm are evidencedin the many contributions he makes to the profession.One of which he is most proud is his work with PSTA(The Pennsylvania Science Teachers Association).He currently serves, until December, as the presidentof the organization. He was last year’s state conventionchairman. At the convention, his son and astronaut,Capt. Ken Ham, were guest speakers. Mr. Butleris also a member of the executive board and membershipchairman. He has served as a member of thegroup since 1986. In addition to these accomplishments,Mr. Butler has been nominated several timesas an outstanding biology teacher by his colleaguesand is listed in the Who’s Who of Science Teachers.Mr. Butler calls retirement the beginning of his “thirdchildhood,” where he plans to spend more time withhis grandchild of two and a half years and the twinsthat are on the way. He looks forward to traveling andvisiting his son, who works for NASA, in Houston,Texas. Working with young adults has taught him to“take things in stride and be happy with the job.” I’msure Mr. Butler’s students have learned the samefrom him.Sue Butz-StavinSue Butz-Stavin taught in the East Penn School Districtfor thirty-five years. Before she was hired by EastPenn, she began her teaching career in New SouthWales, Australia, as a sports mistress, which is theequivalent to an athletic director, and a field hockeycoach. She was subsequently hired by the East PennSchool District to coach field hockey and teach physicaleducation at Eyer Junior High School in 1976. Atthis time, the field hockey team already had an excellentrecord, and Ms. Butz-Stavin was determined tomaintain the excellent standards and the establishedrecord. She taught at Eyer for nine years beforetransferring to the high school.During her thirty-five seasons as the high school fieldhockey coach, the Emmaus field hockey team’s overallrecord is 739-73-34. Under her direction, the teamwon twenty-two consecutive district titles and tenstate championships. The team has earned a total of700 wins, which puts her, as the coach, in the secondleading win column in the nation. She has been recognizedrepeatedly for her dedication and excellence.These are a only few of her accomplishments: Shewas inducted into the National Field Hockey Coaches’Hall of Fame (2002), the USA Olympic Committeenamed her the Developmental Coach of the Year(2005), The Morning Call honored her with the All-Area Coach of the Year Award (2007 and 2010), andPage 26