Oakwood teacher awarded after ‘holding students together’ in quarantine

A 30-year educator has been named the recipient of the Oakwood Schools Foundation Parker Love of Teaching and Lifelong Learning Award.

Leslie Blythe, a family and consumer science teacher at Oakwood High School, was chosen for the award, annually honoring a current Oakwood teacher who uniquely inspires the full potential of their students, according to the school district.

Blythe becomes 10th winner of the award established by Beverly Parker, a former Harman Elementary School teacher, in memory of her husband Bob, according to the district.

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An Oakwood teacher/parent and several students wrote letters on behalf of Blythe’s nomination, district officials said.

One student said “Mrs. Blythe is a role model to me, and is one of the most genuinely friendly and caring teachers at Oakwood High School,” according to a school district news release.

“Her unwavering devotion to the school and all the people in it is so amazing,” the student said. “I truly hope that in the future, I will be able to have such a positive impact on another person’s life as she had on mine.”

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One teacher, according to the school district, wrote Blythe’s “modeling of curiosity energizes the students….It is those connections that are holding students together during this quarantine.”

The Oakwood Schools Foundation, a component of The Dayton Foundation, provides students with diverse and distinctive opportunities that go above and beyond the reach of the district’s normal operating budget.

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