Rome Exchange Club Presents First Schools Staff Book of Golden Deeds Award

After joining the army at 18 years old, serving for 20 years, and having a successful business career, Charles Elliott surprised his family by selling his business and returning to school attending Shorter University.

He wanted to find a way to be helpful and serve his community much as he did when he served in the military, so he became a teacher.

“I want to apologize to all the teachers I’ve ever had,” Elliott said. “Because teaching is really hard work.”

Elliott was one of seven people, representing all seven local high schools, chosen by their peers to be awarded the Rome Exchange Club’s Schools Staff Book of Golden Deeds award.

The award grew from a discussion by the club’s Youth Committee members, many former teachers, who brainstormed ideas on how to honor valued staff and teachers in our schools.

Many speakers, including Elliott, became emotional when speaking about their students and what it felt like to play a prominent role in their lives.

“You try and be a blessing to them,” Unity Christian Church’s Mary Holcomb said. “But they are really a blessing to you.”

Rome High School’s Randy Stafford said he was tricked into teaching when the pastor at the church at which he worked, discovered that Stafford had a degree in physics.

“He said he couldn’t pay me much, but would I mind teaching the occasional physics class,” Stafford said. “And that was the trick, because he ended up paying me nothing.”

However, the teaching bug got Stafford, and now he says he’s hooked. Many of his students return every summer to tell him of their accolades as they move out into the world. Two of his students work for NASA, and one works for SpaceX.

“There’s going to be a day when I can’t teach anymore, but I don’t know when that is,” he said. “I feel what I’m doing now echoes into the future.”

Not only teachers were celebrated, as Model High School janitor Herbert Harper was among the honorees. Harper joined the janitorial staff after retiring from the U.S. Postal Service.

“He likes to act irritated, and he likes to drink coffee,” MHS Principal Kevin Strickland said. “But he is beloved by our teacher and students, he knows who they are and they know him, and he goes beyond and beyond his duty over and over again.”

Harper said he appreciates comments on how clean the school is, and thanks his staff, whom he says are exceptional.

“The kids are my life,” Harper said.

However, Harper has decided to retire after this year, Strickland said.

“He’s threatened to retire many times,” Strickland said. “But I think he means it now, he wants to spend more time with his family and grandkids. But we’ll miss him dearly.”

The following educators/staff were awarded:

♦ Charles Elliott, Armuchee High School

♦ Lacey Leonetti, Coosa High School

♦ Shelley Daniel, Darlington School

♦ Herbert Harper, Model High School

♦ Alana Ellenburg, Pepperell High School

♦ Randy Stafford, Rome High School

♦ Mary Holcomb, Unity Christian School

The club also presented Executive Director of the Davies Shelter, Brian Harris and shelter founder Bill Davies, with almost 900 pair of socks, as a result of a sock drive organized by member Buzz Wachsteter.