thursday,march 21, 2013 - County Times - Southern Maryland Online

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The County Times Thursday, March 21, 2013 20 STORY Raspas’ Home is Public Schools By Guy Leonard Staff Writer Salvatore and Myra Raspa have lived in St. Mary’s County for nearly 53 years and in that time their lives have been dedicated to educating the children in the public school system. Starting as educators in the classroom and moving to administrators, they have seen the system develop into one of the best in the state, possibly the nation, and they are proud and honored to have had a hand in that success, they say. And while they have raised six children here they weren’t sure what they were getting into in 1961 when they first moved here. Back then St. Mary’s County was more isolated than either New York City where Salvatore was born or the university town in Tennessee where Myra grew up. Salvatore got his first job here as a science and math teacher, while Myra, who already had a child, took jobs as a substitute teacher. “I came from a university town, it was much more progressive,” Myra, who taught English and journalism. “I was very unhappy.” Both Myra and Salvatore came from families who placed a premium on education for their children and they expected the same level of commitment to learning from their six children, Myra said. “My first class was my own children, they were reading before they went to school,” she said. “It was not a matter of if they were going to go to college it was when. There was no cutting class, they knew they needed to get the grades.” But the community reached out to the new comers, especially the then-principal of Great Mills High School Jane Mattingly, Myra said. “She was so sweet to us, she took us down to her farm and she would give us eggs Salvatore and Myra Raspa received multiple honors last week at the Business, Education and Community Alliance, Inc. scholarship gathering at Bowles Farm in Clements. and milk,” Myra said. Salvatore began to adjust too. “We were having a good time, there were only 15,000 to 20,000 people in the county,” he said. “We had Great Mills High School and Chopticon [High School], Leonardtown High School hadn’t been built yet. Where Leonardtown Elementary School is that’s where Leonardtown High School was.” Back then the children coming to school were from the farming community, they said, and the issues that exist in school today were not a problem back them. “Kids are kids but we didn’t have drugs, there were no alcohol problems, there were no fights,” Salvatore said, adding that many students in high school would show up in their rescue squad and firefighter uniforms ready to respond to emergency calls. It was, as it is today, a big part of the community. “All the guys would run out of the school and when they’d finish up they’d come back,” he said. “Class was disrupted two or more times a week like that.” As the county began to grow with the demands of the navy base, he said, so did the demands for space to house students. The system began construction of new schools and began to address some of its deficiencies. “They wanted a technical school, because students weren’t really learning the trades back then,” Raspa said. Eventually the system grew into what it has become today, recognized as among the Photos By Frank Marquart Salvatore Raspa has been elected to three terms as a member of the county’s Board of Education after a career as a teacher and principal. best in the state and in the nation; Schools Superintendent Michael Martirano now says the system is graduating more students than ever before and the drop out rate has been cut back significantly. The Raspas say the system’s success is simple, making sure that they have some of the best teachers around. “There’s a push for excellence in everything, you hire the best,” Myra said. Salvatore said getting highly qualified teachers is one of the Board of Education’s top priorities. “We put a lot of effort into that.” That can sometimes bring conflict he said, since the added cost of hiring the best they can often comes up as an argument with the Board of County Commissioners at budget time each year. But Salvatore is unapologetic about fulfilling the school system’s needs. “They [commissioners] beat us down all the time… but we negotiate with the teacher’s union,” he said. “If you’re going to keep exceptional teachers, you’re going to have to pay them.” And in this new age when schools can become targets of violence, the school board must be ever watchful of student behavior; something that was not really a problems all those decades ago when they first came. But now they know that whatever problems students have in their homes and communities they are all too easily found in the classroom. Local police have made a significant difference with beating these problems. “We have to deal with drugs and there are discipline problems,” Salvatore said. “The SROs (school resource officers) have really helped maintain order. At first I really opposed them in schools, but society has changed.” Still, the achievements the system has made so far outweigh any problems and they are proud to have helped push it to an enviable state of excellence. Salvatore has had the opportunity not only to guide instruction as a teacher and principal but also policy as a three-term member of the Board of Education; Myra has served teachers in helping them develop their skills. The school system, in a way, has been their home. “We’ve given our lives to educating kids in our county,” Myra said. “We’re very proud to have had that experience. “We’ve both always found ways to reach out to kids.” County Commissioners Todd Morgan, Dan Morris and Francis Jack Russell present Salvatore and Myra Raspa with a proclamation celebrating their years of service as educators. guyleonard@countytimes.net
1 Thursday, March 21, 2013 The County Times MARCH 21, 2013 Hometown Mechanic Does it All By Sarah Miller Staff Writer Laser Lube, owned and operated by Val Spencer, is a full service auto service and repair shop. One of Laser Lube’s unique offerings is a 40-point oil change. When the car is nearly ready to roll, Spencer will bring in the air filter, samples of the fluids and explain her recommendations. If needed, she’ll take customers to their car and point out problem areas, making sure they know she found something needing to be fixed. Spencer’s interest in auto mechanics goes back to her youth in Minnesota, where the frigid winter weather alone was a good reason for people to want to maintain their cars. Spencer’s family cars tended to be older and always seemed to need maintenance. Even as a child, Spencer suspected that her father, who was not mechanically inclined, was getting ripped off by auto shops not fixing the problem and suggesting unnecessary work. While Spencer discusses the vehicle with her customer, her mechanics vacuum, deodorize and Armor All the interior. Other repair work includes tune-ups, brake replacements, tire rotations and balancing. For a complete list and approximate pricing, visit www.laserlube.com or call 301-737-1102. sarahmiller@countytimes.net Photo by Sarah Miller a special supplement to THE COUNTY TIMES & THE CALVERT GAZETTE
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