NEWS: Fern Bluff family gathers to remember educators

ROUND ROCK LEADER
May 27, 2008

LAURI ZACHRY
Education Reporter

The theme of butterflies and the three tiers of a newly constructed fountain in the Fern Bluff Elementary courtyard symbolized the celebration of life for three former educators.

The Fern Bluff Elementary community celebrated the lives of three educators - Debbie Picha, Susan Blount and Pat Matheny - May 18 during a memorial fountain dedication in the school's courtyard.

Picha, Blount and Matheny died in June 2007 in a car accident west on U.S. Highway 71 during rainy conditions while traveling to Fredricksburg for a day trip.

Picha taught first-grade at the school while Blount served as the school's speech therapist.

Matheny worked at Fern Bluff from 1992 until 2006 as a school counselor before moving to Lakeway Elementary in Lake Travis ISD that year.

Teachers, staff, the PTA and other community volunteers began planning for this memorial celebration in January, said Fern Bluff PTA president Shelly Compton.

"We wanted to use a symbol that would bring joy and comfort and symbolize new life," Compton said. "This symbol inspires us and helps us to celebrate."

Preparation for the event

Months before the May 18 memorial, Fern Bluff teachers and staff planted seeds around the campus to attract butterflies just in case a few of them wanted to pop up in and around the courtyard for the festivities.

Guests attending the memorial and fountain dedication received packages of seeds while extra seeds will be distributed at the campus until the end of the school year.

Weeks before the memorial, each grade level conducted a butterfly release in the courtyard, Compton said.

Special guests such as Lynda Carter, the first Fern Bluff principal from 1992 to 2003, and Dale Mitchell, former Fern Bluff assistant principal from 2003 to 2007, shared their memories of the three educators.

Along with sharing memories in person, members of the Fern Bluff community also pre-recorded interviews in which they shared memories of the trio.

People could also write messages to members of the Picha, Blount and Matheny families on green, pink and yellow pieces of butterfly-shaped paper.

Fern Bluff secretaries Dieanna Kierschnick and Barbara Ewing worked with Picha, Blount and Matheny from the time the school opened in 1992 until their deaths in 2007. They both remember the three educators as being special in their unique ways.

Kierschnick remembers the little things the educators did to make a lasting impact - in the lives of students and in their lives.

She recalled Picha being the "perfect dresser" and always having her shoes match her purse, but constantly encouraging her students. One of her favorite memories of Picha was when Picha would play on the playground with her students in the winter while wearing a mink coat.

Kierschnick also recalls the times Blount spent with her when Kierschnick's mother was staying at the Hearthstone Nursing Center in Round Rock after a hospital stint.

"This fountain will be a lasting tribute to three wonderful ladies who left big shoes to fill," Kierschnick said.

Ewing remembers the teachers as loving their students and their families.

"I look forward to eating lunch, enjoying the sound of the water and remembering them," Ewing said. "These teachers all left footprints on our hearts and the memorial committee worked hard on making this such a beautiful tribute for the families and the school community."

The Fern Bluff faculty and community will give members of the Picha, Blount and Matheny families DVD copies of the May 18 memorial as a keepsake, Compton said.

http://rrleader.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=18843&SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&S=1