. Poised to break out the teachers’ breakfast at Lady Lake Elementary School were (front) Kat Pantazi, Phyllis Tess, Grata Keene, Carol Pozen and Matt Sugular… and (back row) Bob Gonyou, Paul Farineau, Ira Pozen and Dennis Demsha.
An enthusiastic group of about 70 teachers were treated to an elaborate breakfast on Monday, their first day back to school after the summer vacation. Festive platters of melon, pineapple, grapes and citrus were set up in the school library next to brimming trays of hot breakfast fare, including honey baked ham — all provided by the morning Rotary Club of The Villages.
“We were the original Villages Rotary Club,” Ira Pozen said. “We meet at 7 a.m. Thursdays at La Hacienda Recreation Center, with breakfast served at 6:30 a.m.We love to welcome the teachers back to school. We did this last week at The Villages Charter Elementary School also.”
School principal, Dave Bordenkircher, welcomed the large faculty group back; introduced a few new teachers to the group, and thanked the Rotary Club members for their generosity and thoughtfulness.
Rotarian Ira Pozen and school principal, Dave Bordenkircher, eye the big cake!
“We couldn’t do what we do for the kids without the Rotary’s support,” Bordenkircher said. “Three out of four of our students live below the poverty line, and we need a lot of help. We have many generous volunteers at the school who also provide vital assistance.” Large piles of donated backpacks awaited distribution in several school offices for children in grades K through 5.
Rotarian Ira Pozen teased the principal about his tasteful tie. “Your tie is really quite nice this morning,” Pozen said, referring to a dark burgundy print tie which perfectly matched Bordenkircher’s long-sleeved burgundy dress shirt. “Did you throw away all those other ties you usually wear — the ones most grown men wouldn’t put on?” Pozen joked. “The kids like those other ties,” Bordenkircher replied, laughing. “I got them from a pediatric dentist who was retiring.”
“We try to keep a sense of decorum at the school,” the principal added, “so I always wear a tie — except on casual Fridays, which is our ‘dress-down’ day.Friday is the only day the teachers may wear jeans — as long as they wear shirts with the school logo on them — and I do the same.”
The room took on the air of a warm school reunion, as the teachers hugged and greeted each other. They ‘ooh’d and aah’d’ as they passed a large cake which said ‘Welcome back teachers and staff — Lady Lake Elementary School.’ The cake was nicely decorated with notebooks, pencils, a ruler, an apple, and all kinds of other school symbols.
After the hearty Rotary breakfast, the staff was ready to take on the day!
School principal, Dave Bordenkircher, welcomed nearly 70 members of the Lady Lake Elementary School teaching staff.
Robert Basye was recently criticized for getting too much information from “Fox Noise,” but he responds and says his choices for information are much more varied. Read his Letter to the Editor.
