Wendy Decker has been teaching for nearly 14 years. She said she was not told why she needed to attend the Board meeting and so was shocked by middle school Principal's presentation. Michael Crimmins/Glasgow News 1.
By MICHAEL CRIMMINS
Glasgow News 1
Despite being several hours after the close of the school day, the parking lot of Glasgow Middle School was filled with a handful of cars as the five members of the Glasgow Independent Schools Board of Education, along with a few others, met in the library to present the monthly “Inspiring Greatness Award,” approve the next year school calendar and receive word on the upcoming test.
Chairperson Amelia Kiser elected to approve all the agenda’s operation items with one vote, which elicited no discourse or discussion from the other four members.
During the meeting, Glasgow Middle School Principal Justin Stinson chose to recognize a staple of the school’s English Department: Wendy Decker for, as Supervisor of Instruction Tara Martin said, “going above and beyond.”
“I am honored to recognize Wendy Decker,” Stinson said. “When I think about the reason all of us get into education it’s always to help kids [and] no one exemplifies that more than Mrs. Decker. She is more in tune with her kids’ social, academic and physical needs than anyone I’ve probably ever seen. I’m honored to recognize Mrs. Decker for inspiring greatness in us all.”
A teary-eyed Decker rose to accept the award amid claps from the board members and Superintendent Chad Muhlenkamp.
“It’s overwhelming and humbling,” Decker said. “I just do this because I care and this is my mission. God called me here to be in this position to love kids as best I can.”
Decker graduated from Western Kentucky University in 2006 and received her Masters from the University of Scranton. She has been teaching for 14 years. According to Decker she always wanted to be a teacher.
“If you ask my mom and dad they would tell you that anytime I got free time to play I would be playing school,” Decker said. “I would line up my stuffed animals, and sometimes my little sister, and get my books and play librarian or get my dad’s briefcase and grade papers.”
She said, while people do not go into education desiring accolades, it feels “humbling” to get this recognition. She added that the award does not mean she is a higher caliber of teacher.
“This means a lot,” Decker said. “I don’t do what I do for this. I do what I do out of love…. We all are here for the students and this by no means makes me better than anyone else in this building.”
After that was finished, the board members approved the academic calendar for the 2024-2025 school year.
According to Muhlenkamp, it is the same one the board has already seen with school beginning Aug. 27 and concluding on May 23, 2025.
Martin also gave the board members a “heads up” that end-of-year testing was set for May 6-24.
With no discussion the board quickly adjourned.
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