St. Marys teacher, 47, died Friday, honored

ST. MARYS - Board of education members observed a moment of silence for Memorial High School English teacher Tracy Anderson, who died Friday after a four-year battle with cancer.

Anderson, 47, of Wapakoneta taught at St. Marys for 18 years and was a dedicated teacher and friend to staff and students, said superintendent Bill Ruane.

"I had the honor to work with Tracy for 10 years, five years as the high school principal," he said. "Just a remarkable human being. Well respected amongst colleagues and students, she had a special place (here)."

He said that Anderson's motherly approach to teaching was a perfect fit for her ninth grade English classes.

"She had the motherly love and compassion but also had the discipline and high expectations for her students and got them to fall in love with Shakespeare and 'Romeo and Juliet,' Greek mythology," he said. "The big thing was she just listened to people. When they had problems, whether it be a staff member or a student, they knew they could come to her."

Anderson's mother passed away when she was a child, so any time a student had a family member die, Ruane said she would volunteer to take them under her wing.

"She helped care for her younger siblings (after her mom's death)," he said. "She always volunteered to talk to any kid that was struggling. She didn't force it or anything, but she said, 'If they need someone, I would be more than happy to talk with them.' She was just that person that was looking out for students."

Anderson is survived by her husband of 21 years, Jamison "Jamey," and their son Harrison "Harry."

Once the pandemic started, Anderson's doctors recommended she not return to school, so she was co-teaching online with a long term substitute.

Ruane added that this year she had a full-time substitute covering her class so she could focus on her health. The substitute will continue for the rest of this year.

In other business, the board approved a name change for the high school student singing group formerly known as Glitter-N-Gold to Varsity Voices.

Advisor Christine Taylor said the group was seeking the name change because they had switched from a show choir with dancing and costumes, to an a cappella club that meets twice a week after school.

"This is all of that (Glitter-N-Gold), just without the backing tracks and dancing," she said. "We have 20 students in this ensemble. It's made up of students from all of our curricular choir classes, all the way from freshmen to seniors."

Prior to the meeting, the Varsity Voices performed "The Stars and Stripes Forever" for the board.

The school board meets next at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 15 in the high school auditorium.