NEWS: PTA to create memorial for teachers in wreck

ROUND ROCK LEADER
April 5, 2008

LAURI ZACHRY
Education Reporter

Fern Bluff Elementary PTA members plan to create a lasting fountain memorial to remember three Fern Bluff teachers killed in 2007.

First-grade teacher Debbie Picha, speech therapist Susan Blount and Patricia Matheny, former Fern Bluff school counselor, were killed in a car accident in June 2007, which happened in the 17600 block of U.S. Highway 71 West, near Bee Creek Road in Austin.

The official dedication of the Fern Bluff memorial is Sunday, May 18 in the school's cafeteria. Speakers and special guests confirmed to attend so far are: Linda Carter, first-ever Fern Bluff principal; Rosena Malone, Fern Bluff principal until 2006; and Dale Mitchell, assistant principal.

The PTA will also show pre-recorded messages and videos from people whose lives the three women touched, said Fern Bluff PTA president Shelly Compton.

"We want people to feel comfortable and speak from the heart," Compton said. "We want this to be a time to celebrate the lives of these women and their families."

During the weeks before and after the memorial, individual grade levels at Fern Bluff will release butterflies from the school's courtyard near the area where the memorial fountain will rest.

In a couple of weeks, Fern Bluff students will receive butterfly habitat kits to create butterflies. So far, Fern Bluff has received approximately 15 donated kits from Brushy Creek Elementary and other families in the Fern Bluff and Brushy Creek communities, Compton said.

During the May 18 event, the school will show video footage of the grade-level butterfly releases. To further expand on the butterfly theme, students, families and community members will receive seeds at the event for plants and/or flowers that naturally attract butterflies.

Currently, the Fern Bluff PTA has raised $6,800 for the memorial and fountain project since February, Compton said. The cost of the entire memorial project is between $8,000 and $10,000. Three Round Rock contractors, Tony Jacobs, Joshua Cerda and David Botz, will volunteer their time to construct the fountain to reduce construction costs, Compton said.

If the PTA raises more than $10,000 for the project, the organization will donate the extra funds to the Fern Bluff Literacy Library - a project dear to Picha, Blount and Matheny's hearts.

To further raise money for the Fern Bluff memorial project, the organization will sponsor a book fair at the La Frontera location of Barnes & Noble until Sunday, April 6.

For those Round Rock Barnes & Noble customers who mention the Fern Bluff memorial, 10 percent of their purchases will go toward the memorial, Compton said. Along with shopping for books, the public is welcome to listen to guest readers (Fern Bluff teachers and administrators) over the weekend during storytime events.

The weekend storytime events are Saturday, April 5 at 10 a.m., noon and 4 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.

To print a copy of a voucher, which will ensure Fern Bluff PTA will receive 10 percent of Barnes and Noble purchase prices, go to roundrockisd.org/fernbluff/.

As of Tuesday, the Fern Bluff PTA had received approximately $184 from book sales at Barnes & Noble, said La Frontera Barnes & Noble Community Relations Manager Frank Campbell. Campbell said the funds will increase considerably because of the upcoming weekend storytime events.

"I wanted to contribute in anyway I could," Campbell said. "It was a matter of identifying a need and the book fair was a perfect fit."

The Fern Bluff PTA is still accepting donations for the memorial.

For more information, contact Compton at shelly_compton@roundrockisd.org.

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NEWS: Book fair memorializes Fern Bluff educators

ROUND ROCK LEADER
April 2, 2008

The Fern Bluff Elementary PTA will sponsor a book fair at the La Frontera location of Barnes and Noble until Sunday, April 6, benefiting a memorial for three of its teachers killed in 2007.

For those Round Rock Barnes and Noble customers who mention the Fern Bluff memorial, 10 percent of their purchases will go toward the memorial, said Fern Bluff PTA president Shelly Compton.

As of Tuesday, the Fern Bluff PTA had received approximately $184 from book sales at Barnes and Noble.

Since February, the Fern Bluff PTA has raised $6,800 for the memorial and fountain project, Compton said.

Along with shopping for books, the public is welcome to listen to guest readers (Fern Bluff teachers and administrators) Friday evening and over the weekend during storytime events. The weekend storytime events are Saturday at 10 a.m., noon and 4 p.m. Sunday's storytime event is scheduled for 2 p.m.

The official dedication of the Fern Bluff memorial is Sunday, May 18 in the school's cafeteria.

First-grade teacher Debbie Picha, speech therapist Susan Blount and Patricia Matheny, former Fern Bluff school counselor, were killed in June 2007 in a car accident in the 17600 block of U.S. Highway 71 West, near Bee Creek Road.

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