A Great Loss

Late last night I got a call from "the phone chain" at work.  It was a fellow teacher at OHS calling to tell me that Ken Kolwyck, a science teacher in our building, died suddenly.  I wanted to write something here to pay homage to a great teacher, person, and friend.  I will always remember Ken with his yellow smiley face coffee mug in hand, bound for the office each morning at 7am.  He would greet me as I ascended the stairs to my classroom.  He was always in the building early - way before me.  And he always stayed late, helping kids with labs, make up work, tutoring, etc.  He was always the outspoken voice of reason on our staff.  I admired him for always sticking to his convictions, speaking his mind, and understanding this sometimes ridiculous business of education.  He and I spoke often and agreed vehemently that what all students needed was the bar to be raised.  He saw that when he raised the bar in his classroom and held that high standard, his students rose to challenge, every time.  He was a man that always said good morning, always had a smile, was amazingly good at what he did, and will be sorely missed.  God bless and God's speed my friend.