Alumni: Schools were key to success
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Nancy Bridgman
Extras
Graduated: 1971 North High School
Job: A consultant for the Nextedge Applied Research and Technology Corp.
Her experience at North provided a solid foundation, one that helped her decide to bring her son back to Springfield when the time came to make a move from California.
"I realize now, after 15 successful years in the computer industry, how important the foundation I received at North was in providing students with strong academic fundamentals. Some of my fondest memories include my years singing with the choir and glee club. Mr. Baber, a driven and gifted choir director, expected perfection and hard work from everyone. (He also encouraged a small group of hams to form a pop singing group with homemade outfits and funky props.)
Academically, I focused on college level courses. One of my favorite teachers was my tough but kind French teacher, Mrs. Spriggs. Her training must have made an impression because I was able to avoid a few disasters when ordering dinner or asking directions on a few trips in Paris over the years. I was not a straight A student, but had an active fun high school experience. I have high school friends I still see regularly who also have gone on to great careers.
The solid foundation I received at North compelled me to move back to Springfield to raise my son, Wyatt, currently a junior at North. Wyatt is enrolled in advanced placement and International Baccalaureate courses, which present a tougher curriculum than we had in the 1970s.
His education helped him earn an AVETEC Wright Scholar research assistant job at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base where he will work with an engineer doing computational research. I am proud to be a graduate of North High School and even more proud of the education my son is currently receiving and the bright future for which he is well-prepared."
Andrea (Lytle) King
Graduated: 1989 South High
Job: An independent safety consultant for the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation
She remembers her time at South as one filled with enthusiastic, knowledgeable instructors.
Her teachers' interest and excitement about their subject areas came through. She feels fortunate to have had many teachers, including Mr. Willets and Mrs. Clark, who modeled good organization and pushed her to the fullest of her potential. "Mrs. Click, my English teacher was even able to make Shakespeare less confusing, which made studying much more effective."
King didn't miss out socially, either. She ran track and was a member of the drill team, learning the importance of effective team dynamics. "There was a lot of pride in our school and we wanted to be our best. ... I felt like I was at home there."
King now has two children attending Springfield City Schools and she is looking forward to their experience at the new Springfield High School. "I believe the newly combined high school will be a catalyst to create a sense of unity in our community and bring things together."
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Pepper Bego
Graduated: 1982 South High School
Job: The Neighborhood Manager for the City of Concord, North Carolina
"My mother, a single parent, played the formative role in who I am and who I've become. She was the person who gave me the confidence to believe I could aspire to become anything I wanted if I was willing to put in the work. She helped me realize that my faith in God, education and work ethic would lead to success. Although I lived in the 'projects,' she used to say the 'projects' don't have to live in me.
"Although I achieved success with a basketball and academic scholarship, my mother never allowed me to forget the importance of academics.
"I'll never forget the time when I came home after basketball tryouts and told mother the good and bad news. She asked for my bad news, so I said, 'I made the basketball team.' She said, 'that's wonderful,' and then asked for my good news. I told her I got a 'B' in geometry.
"While at South I was blessed with wonderful teachers who challenged me to think beyond my scope. Mrs. Deem, Mrs. Field, Mrs. Miller and Mr. Baker were just some of the teachers who cultivated the seeds planted by my Mother that education was the road that would ultimately lead toward personal and professional success."
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Susan Speros
Graduated: 1971 North High School
Job: Owns a technology company in Savannah, Ga.
When Speros recalled her time at North, she spoke of the example set by her gymnastics coach, Linda Knox. "Sports were terrible for girls then; the only thing available was gymnastics," she said.
The leadership and dedication Speros saw in Knox became a motivating factor. "She pushed us to be our best. We wanted to please our coach," she said.
Her three years as a gymnast prepared her for her adult life, she said, by teaching her to be more dedicated and willing to commit to practice.
"I was very proud to letter in gymnastics and proud of my high school," Speros said
As part of Block N, Speros found another activity that bolstered pride in her high school. "As soon as we started to go down the hill toward the stadium, we'd start to sing the alma mater. That created a real sense of camaraderie and fellowship."
Even though opportunities for girls in sports were limited, Speros found a niche that taught her to be dedicated, disciplined and willing to fight for the win, qualities she applies every day as a woman in the business world.
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Otto Larson
Graduated: 1995 North High School
Job: Works for Consolidated
Insurance
He recently found himself part of the alumni committee working to raise funds for an auditorium at the new Springfield High School. He credits skills learned in high school for much of his success as an adult.
Larson has a special relationship with North because his father, Mike Larson, was the football coach for many years.
"North was diverse both socially and economically, which helped me learn more about people and their backgrounds," he said.
He learned even more about his peers when he listened and asked good questions, other skills that were stressed in his classes at North.
Academically, Larson said he enjoyed history and the debates that took place in class. "I learned how to handle disagreements and do so respectfully," he said.
A golfer whose talent won him a scholarship to Bowling Green State University, Larson had a good time during his years at North.
"I had a very good group of friends, and we motivated each other athletically and academically," he said.
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Duane Hodge
Graduated: 1975 South High School
Job: Clark State Community College's manager of corporate and communications services
He has mixed feelings about his high school experience, but learned important life lessons from some strong male role models.
"I had no father in the home growing up. Mr. Butler became the black male I saw as a professional role model," he said.
Hodge remembered his fellow classmates who regularly disrupted class as role models, too, but not positive ones. "I learned how I did not want to be."
High school was sometimes difficult for him as a young black man. He remembers being beaten up for taking books home because studying wasn't cool.
He had teachers, he said, who recognized his desire to get up and out, encouraging him to work hard and study. "I had teachers who helped me to quietly get an extra set of books that I could leave at home so I could study," he said.
Mr. Johnson, South's assistant principal, was flexible and helped Hodge craft a plan to graduate in two years. With this help, he graduated at age 16 and was able to start his college career at Central State University the following year.
"There were people who really encouraged me to face the struggles I was confronted with and helped me to succeed."
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Dr. Tanek Jenkins
Graduated: 1991 South High
Job: A pediatric dentist in Oxon Hill, Md.
"I had a good time and I was confident," she said of her high school years. A member of the marching band and the drill team, she feels the social and economic diversity paired with her involvement helped her learn how to deal with a wide variety of people from different backgrounds.
Her academic experience was positive, as well. "My stint at South prepared me, definitely with regard to didactics ... when I went to college, I tested above many of my classmates and was able to excel," she said.
Her math and science teachers prepared her for the rigorous course work at Howard University through both undergraduate and dental school. "Math and science were definitely my favorite subjects in high school," she said.
Away from her hometown for many years now, Jenkins said she misses things about Springfield and is sad to see her alma mater close. "I'll miss South High," she said.
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George Willeman
Graduated: 1980 North High School
Job: The nitrate vault leader at the Library of Congress's Motion Picture Conservation Center in Culpeper, Va.
His love of film was deepened during his time at North, concretely paving the way for his career.
He recounted his experience, saying, "I have been into film since the third grade, when my Uncle Bob gave me a toy 8mm projector and my Grandpa bought me some three-minute Castle Films at S.S. Kresges.
By the time I entered Springfield North, I was an incurable cineaste.
My defining experience was having classes with the late, great Calvin Vance. Mr. Vance was a French teacher, but also taught wonderful survey classes on art and culture, which I attended. We became great friends and he exposed me to much in the way of classical music, art, film and literature.
Shortly after graduation, he took me to see Abel Gance's "Napoleon," an epic five-hour silent film at the Ohio Theatre in Columbus.
From that point, I knew I wanted to be involved in the work of saving old films, which I have done now for The Library of Congress for 24 years.
Mr. Vance passed away several years ago, but I kept in touch with him. On one of our last visits, he gave me one of his prized mementos — an autograph of silent film star Nita Naldi, which he got from her in a restaurant in New York City in 1948, as a young sailor back from France.
It also has her address, so I think she wanted him and his buddies to 'Come up and see her!' "
