Clarke County Honors Retiring Educator and Champion Coach
Johnson Williams Middle School will be missing a familiar face next year. Teacher and Coach Nancy Specht is retiring after 35 years of service to Clarke County students and the community. Specht’s legacy will continue in her absence through a scholarship endowment in her honor and her induction into the VHSL Sports Hall of Fame.
Retiring JWMS teacher Nancy Specht and husband Don
Teachers, citizens, students, and family gathered on Sunday at the Berryville VFW hall to honor Specht’s legacy of unceasing commitment and devotion to generations of Clarke County students both in the classroom and on the track fields.
Specht has long contributed the guiding force for Clarke County’s dominance in Virginia’s track & field and cross country competition. Her coaching skills have led CCHS teams to nine cross country State Championship titles and four track & field State Championship titles.
Specht steps down from her coaching role on a winning note as both the boy’s and girl’s track and field teams qualified yesterday for a State tournament appearance next week.
Teacher Gwen Malone, who joined the JWMS teaching team in 1999, described Nancy Specht as an important mentor and friend during Malone’s transition from private enterprise to teaching. Malone said keeping the event to honor Specht a surprise was difficult “You’ll never surprise Ms. Specht. She knows about everything happening in Clarke County two weeks in advance.”
JWMS Teacher Gwen Malone at reception honoring Nancy Specht - Photo Edward Leonard
The look on Specht’s face as she entered the VFW Hall, packed with over 50 well-wishers, showed that Malone had pulled off the impossible by surprising Specht.
“I’m speechless!” Specht told the crowd.
“My teaching career has been 35 years of blood, sweat and tears. My heart always has been, and always will be in Clarke County” said a tearful Specht. “I love this community and can’t say enough about all of you. And besides, you have surprised the begeebers out of me!”
The reception included a vocal tribute by two of her former students. Charles Bailey, now a junior at George Mason University and CCHS record holder for the 100, 200 and 400 meter sprints, sang his rendition of, “I Surrender All.” Andrea Gaither, a CCHS student, daughter of a former Specht student, and track team member sang , “His Eye is on the Sparrow”.
Clarke County Education Foundation Executive Director, Kim Stutzman added to the afternoon surprise by announcing that CCEF had raised an additional $4,000 for the Nancy Specht Scholarship Fund. Stutzman presented Specht with a plaque that will hang in the school commemorating the first twelve recipients of the award and inscribed with Specht’s motto, “The miracle is not that that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.”
JWMS Teacher Nancy Specht entering a surprise reception in honor of her retirement - Photo Edward Leonard
The Nancy Specht Scholarship Fund, initiated by former Clarke County School Superintendent, Eleanor Smalley, will be awarded annually beginning this year, by the CCHS Scholarship Committee to a member of the CCHS senior class. The successful applicant will have participated in at least two years of cross-country competition and submit an original essay on the impact of running on his or her life.
In announcing the scholarship Stutzman said, “I am the parent of three children who have been taught by Nancy Specht. Nancy has provided them with wonderful English skills and is an inspiration to our children.”
The afternoon was filled with recognition to Specht’s ability to reach students through her own special style of academic excellence and physical fitness leadership.
“I thank Nancy for her 35 years of dedication to the children of Clarke County,” said School Board member, Barbara Lee. “Nancy epitomizes what education is all about in our county through her selfless dedication both in the classroom and on the athletic fields.”
Dr. Charles Twigg lauded Specht for her guidance to students both on and off the field. “Nancy Specht is the kind of teacher who influences kids the most because she touches their lives beyond the classroom,” Twigg said.
The afternoon’s celebration represents only a portion of the community’s recognition of Specht’s many accomplishments. At a recent Clarke County School Board meeting Athletic Director Casey Childs characterized Specht as “the cornerstone of Clarke County’s running programs and championships” noting that Specht has been selected for induction into the Virginia High School Sports Hall of Fame.
“I don’t believe that anyone from Clarke County has ever been inducted into the Hall of Fame before.” Childs told the Clarke County School Board. “This is a great honor for Nancy”.
While Specht is looking forward to a more relaxed pace after stepping aside from her full-time teaching position it is clear that “retirement” is not in her plans anytime soon.
“I have mixed feelings about leaving,” Specht said. “But even though I’m passing on the mantle of “English Queen” to someone else I still plan to substitute teach and I’ve told the school that I’ll help out with next year’s field day.”
Don Specht, Nancy’s husband provided, perhaps, the most important tribute of all; “Nancy Specht doesn’t teach writing or language arts. She teaches children.”
Posted by Edward Leonard
on Jun 2 2010. Filed under Schools.
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I’ve been watching with great skepticism how an athletics agenda is slowly being pushed since the forced ouster of [redacted] from the Executive Directorship of the CCEF. These are things that make me wonder about how monies raised by the CCEF in prior years are handled with regards to the EDUCATIONAL needs versus the ATHLETIC needs.
After re-reading the article, I am appalled that CCEF is giving money towards another scholarship that will only ever benefit a select few number of students!! CCEF already has funded $5,000 in athletic scholarships annually, compared to $4,300 in non-athletic scholarships. This should not be!
Mr. Winger, that $5,000 did not just fall off a turnip truck. The track scholarship was endowed by donations restricted to that specific purpose. It is no body else’s business that people chose to support track athletes in this way.
Hats off to Mrs. Specht. I have met several of her charges and they are the most dedicated, hard working group of students you will ever find and certainly deserving of scholarship support.
I know that those funds were specifically earmarked for track athletes by private donors. My beef is that CCEF created an ATHLETIC ONLY SCHOLARSHIP WITH CCEF FUNDS.
Where is your proof?
Read the article.
“…Clarke County Education Foundation Presiden, Kim Stutzman added to the afternoon surprise by announcing that CCEF had raised an additional $4,000 for the Nancy Specht Scholarship Fund….”
Doesn’t state that it was a private endowment fund specifically for the Nancy Specht Scholarship Fund, it states that the funds were raised by CCEF.
Really? THAT is your “proof”? Wow…it looks like you have an Oliver-Stone-worthy level of mistrust and dislike for the current CCEF ED.
In reading the article, you conveniently left out the first sentence of the very next paragraph: “The Nancy Specht Scholarship Fund, initiated by former Clarke County School Superintendent, Eleanor Smalley,…” It doesn’t state WHERE those funds came from…they could be from private donors who sought to honor a great teacher and coach, hence “…the CCEF raised and additional $4,000.”
Nope, missed it. My bad, mea culpa. Nevermind, then.
Yes, I trust the current CCEF ED about as far as I can throw her. The last two CCEF fundraisers have been geared towards athletics. CCEF took over the mulch sale for the young lady who lost her life a few years ago, then the faculty b-ball tournament where the CCEF ED demanded that the JWMS team have their ringer not allowed to continue playing in the final. I was there, I saw her do it, I heard her do it. So yeah, I don’t trust her worth a lick.
RW, the place to post your rants is on the page, from back in March, where she was announced as the new ED of the CCEF. You (sadly) hijacked this article’s forum to use it as a bully pulpit for what is sounding like a personal beef.
Doug, I respect your opinion. However, the powers that run this forum seem to deem my “rants” relevant to the current discussion, and have not made them magically disappear (unlike the discussion regarding the faculty basketball tournament talking about the JWMS ringer being pulled from the game after a “request” was made, certain posts implicating Mrs. Stutzman and her subsequent denial just evaporated).
I just like there to be a level playing field for everyone, not just the well-connected.
Don’t confuse the CCEF, of which KS is the new director, with the Eagles Athletics Association (EAA), of which she is a (very) active booster member.
I don’t think anyone is confusing them. My worry is that she will.
Just a part of what the CCEF provides our students and teachers. More can be found on their website if you care to look. http://www.ccefinc.org
Thank you to CCEF and a BIG thank you to Nancy Specht, a WONDERFUL teacher. I am thankful to know her and wish her the best in her retirement.
2009/10 TEACHER GRANT RECIPIENTS
TEACHER SCHOOL $AMOUNT DESCRIPTION
Catherine Barrett DG Cooley 860.00 Picture-visual material
Michelle Baughman CCHS 2,262.50 Graphing calculators
Christine Brewer CCHS 1,886.00 Theatre props
Robert Carter Berryville Prim. 1,130.00 School announcement board
Lolly Fitzsimmons CCHS 1,300.00 Anatomy figure
Jim Fleming CCHS 614.60 Molecular model kits
Karen Hughes DG Cooley 200.00 Planet Earth series
Jay Jeffries/
Cathy Campbell CCHS 9,300.00 Software
Tina Johnston Berryville Prim. 382.80 Parenting workshop kit
Emily Major DG Cooley 799.87 Simple machine &science activity sets
Stephanie McKenney CCHS 1,700.87 Color guard equipment
Donna Michael DG Cooley 3,444.50 Reading instructional material
Jon Novick CCHS 8,990.00 Science calculators
Rachel Pequignot Berryville Prim. 182.88 Movement CDs
Lisa Strosnider Berryville Prim. 461.81 Math material
Jessica Tavenner Boyce Elem. 1,251.50 Music instruments & equipment
Jackie Wadsworth JWMS 169.24 Choral folders
Catherine White CCHS 2,112.00 Environmental science lab equipment
Ann Young Berryville Prim. 790.00 Incubators
All well and good, but my beef is that the SCHOLARSHIPS awarded to students are weighted more towards ATHLETICS. You list teacher grants, which is what I applaud CCEF for.
Let me be clear, and I should have done this before, I mean no disrespect to Nancy. She is a fantastic teacher and a great coach, and I wish her nothing but the best.
The fact that CCEF is donating funds to a CROSS COUNTRY participant only scholarship is where my beef lies. A private donor to CCEF can do this, but NOT CCEF itself.
RW, there might be a proper forum or time for your rant. However, this is neither.
Nancy Specht is as fine an educator, coach, and mentor as ever has walked the halls of J-WMS or the track & field of CCHS. Others would do well to follow her example.
Congratulations, Nancy! May your retirement years be as rich for you as you’ve made it for so many of Clarke’s students.
Many Congratulations to Mrs. Nancy Specht. I’ve heard nothing but great things about her teaching career, and my hat’s always off to our teachers. My own dear mom taught for many years in the Clarke County schools, and after seeing all that she went through, and always giving her best, I have nothing but respect for our educators.
As far as I’m concerned, there’s no better place in this world to grow up and receive and education than Clarke County, and I feel very blessed every day to have grown up there.
I’m glad that Mrs. Specht became a teacher and athletic coach. She and her family were great neighbors. We all played together as kids. I always knew Nancy would be a good athletic coach, ever since (at about age 12) she decked me good in one of our regular backyard football games.
We hope she enjoys a healthy and wonderful retirement.
Folks, I’ve got two problems with this conversation.
First, it diverting attention away from Nancy Specht’s accomplisments as an educator and a coach. The fact is that in her 35 years at Clarke County she very effectively used both English grammar and running to the benefit of hundreds of students.
Second, including two years of cross-country experience hardly makes this an athletic scholarship. Many kids participate in cross country because it’s a fun way to exercise and be with their friends. (Again, admire Nancy Specht for figuring out how to maintain a fun, low pressure team experience and simultaneously win multiple State Championships.)
Please read between the lines just a little. Nancy isn’t demanding that the scholarship be awarded for athleticism. I believe that the cross country aspect is Nancy’s way of telling generations of future students that running changed her life and can change the lives of others as well.
Save the politics for a different story, there’ll surely be future opportunities.
Hear hear!
Congratulations on a job well done. I hope you stay involved as you are a true asset to our children.
I am ever so proud to have been part of Nancy’s recognition event as a parent, friend and CCEF Executive Director, not President. All of the Foundation scholarships are initiated by private donors, not the Foundation. Any interested party is welcome to establish a scholarship on behalf of a cause, loved one, memorial, or profession to benefit a student of CCHS. The Foundation is merely the pass-through or entity that allows a donation to be tax-deductiable and allow a group or individual to raise monies to benefit our school system or its’ students. My presentation was not quoted in it’s entirety on this site which recognized Nancy’s friends, co-workers, fellow running club members, past students and parents of students as the donors of the money raised to endow her scholarship so she would not be funding it personally. Thank god there are so many altruistic members of our community interested in recognizing SCHOLAR ATHLETES!
Answer me this then, why did [ redacted] get replaced, [redacted]? I ask, because there are so many folks in the county that absolutely [redcated] it’s not even funny.
P.S.
It’s God, not god.
OK…you are really getting close to libel here. Employment matters cannot be discussed in ANY public forum, so why ask a question that cannot be answered?
CDN – how are these rather negative, personal attacks justified as any sort of “furthering the conversation”?
I suggest the CDN finds a place to move everything not relating to Nancy’s retirement elsewhere.
I learned so much when i had Mrs Specht in 7th grade and feel very lucky to have her as a teacher. The upcoming classes are missing out!
It is a sad day when the accomplishments of Mrs. Specht are hijacked by some commenters on this article. The topic, in case anyone forgot, is the contribution that Mrs. Specht has made to Clarke County education. To that end, nobody has had a word of dissent. For those who would like to discuss their own personal agendas, please find an appropriate forum and discuss to your heart’s content.