Congresswoman to honor 91-year-old school volunteer
After spending over 50 years teaching kindergarten children full time in Mississippi, Olive McKenna relocated to Franklin, but could not shake the feeling that something was missing. She needed to get back to the children she so loved to teach and began volunteering at Liberty Elementary School, where she now assists students with extra reading practice.
On Friday, September 11, Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn’s office will recognize “Miss Ollie,” age 91, for her generous gift of time and talent in the public schools. The surprise presentation of an official Congressional proclamation by local representative Steve Allbrooks will occur during the school’s weekly assembly at 8:30 a.m.
The Franklin Special School District appreciates the time and talents it receives from hundreds of volunteers. Some are working parents and some are stay-at-home parents. However, some volunteers do not have children in the schools at all. These generous community members, including Olive McKenna, come to the schools for the pure joy of helping a child learn to read or glue circles and squares on their math paper, or to simply wipe the sticky smiles on the faces of students after lunch or snack time.
Mrs. McKenna came to Liberty Elementary School in 2005, following the devastating loss of her Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, home and all of its contents during Hurricane Katrina. Although she had taught for 52 years, Mrs. McKenna realized that she still had more to give. “Miss Ollie is an inspiration to all of the staff at Liberty,” said Principal Jerre Ann Mathis. “She is a help to all of us – not just the children she tutors. When she works with children you can tell in their eyes how much they love her, she makes them feel like they can do the work.”
While you can usually find her “floating” between kindergarten classes, she also helps children in the older grades and will lend her hand wherever a teacher or student might need her. “The spirit and stamina, the dedication and compassion of Miss Ollie is infectious and inspiring to all of us who are fortunate to be in her path of loving, of living, of learning and of teaching,” said first-grade teacher Judy Jackson.
Liberty Elementary is located at 600 Liberty Pike in Franklin. The phone is 790-0892. You are invited to attend the ceremony on Friday, September 11, at the 8:30 AM assembly.
