Longtime Blaine teacher honored on Earth Day

Blaine Primary School teacher Terre Shapiro was honored with an Earth Day surprise on April 22 when dozens of first graders donned t-shirts to celebrate the longtime educator’s commitment to the environment, her birthday that aligns with the environmental holiday, and announced retirement.

The tiny t-shirts were adorned with “Happy Earth Day, Thank You Mrs. Shapiro.”

Shapiro’s 39th year teaching will be her last. Working in the Blaine school district since 1989 teaching first grade and now as the Science Technology Engineering Art and Math teacher, Shapiro has made a habit of dedicating her combined Earth Day and birthday celebration to her students.

Shapiro organizes paper bag decorations with Earth Day messages that are hung up at the IGA Market, sunflower planting stations, and for 22 years while Shapiro was a classroom teacher, her students would make Earth Day t-shirts. That hasn’t been the case the past four years since Shapiro took the STEAM position.

That was revived for one final Earth Day surprise for Shapiro.

Primary school teacher Robin Thompson, one of the faculty to help set up the surprise, said the retiring teacher committed decades to the students and community of Blaine.

“She goes above and beyond for students. She has a big heart. She’s very caring,” Thompson said. “She is really into the community and tied to being accountable to her students.”

For example, Thompson said, every year Shapiro hosts a graduation barbecue for departing high school seniors who she taught in the first grade.

“I’ve felt a calling to be a teacher my whole life,” Shapiro said. “I felt like one of my missions as being a teacher is to teach kids about how to care of our planet and how to be good stewards of our land and what is around us.”

Shapiro, whose first name is French for “Earth,” said that while she’s excited for the next chapter in her life, she still plans on volunteering at the primary school, after traveling and camping around Europe first.

“I love children and I love the primary school and I love science, so I’ll try to still help with that,” Shapiro said.