😇 OBIT: TITANIC ALEXANDRIA TEACHER LOU KOKONIS DIES @ 91! — Inspired Generations Of Kids To Embrace Math!

From The Zebra:

https://thezebra.org/2024/01/05/louis-kokonis-91/

 

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OBIT: Louis Kokonis, 91, Longtime Math Teacher With Alexandria City Public Schools

Kevin Dauray

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Louis Kokonis, who passed away at 91 on Jan. 4, 2024, taught at ACPS for more than 6 decades. (Photo: Lucelle O’Flaherty/TheZebra Press)

ALEXANDRIA, VA-Louis Kokonis, a longtime math teacher with Alexandria City Public Schools, passed away Jan. 4, 2024, at the age of 91. He began teaching in 1958 but started with the school system the following year at Frances C. Hammond High School (now Hammond Middle School). For the majority of his six-decade-plus career, Kokonis taught at T.C. Williams High School/Alexandria City High School.

A little more than a year ago, Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) celebrated Mr. Kokonis on his 90th birthday, recognizing his dedication to his students and the craft of teaching. A Zebra Press report covering the milestone says he taught algebra, calculus, and geometry, and along the way, enabled many to “overcome math anxiety.”

“I always knew that I wanted to be a teacher,” Mr. Kokonis recalled during an ACPS interview, “I was influenced by many of my high school teachers and for my love of math.”

The Scholarship Fund of Alexandria honored Mr. Kokonis in 2019. The above poster was made for that event. (Photo: Lucelle O’Flaherty/The Zebra Press)

He is credited as the longest-serving teacher in ACPS history.

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John Porter, the principal at T.C. from 1984 to 2006, called him an “amazing man and dedicated educator.”

“The number of students he assisted and who acknowledged the difference he made in their lives numbers in the many thousands,” said Porter, who worked with Kokonis for 27 years in all.

Because Mr. Kokonis had no wife or children, he  considered his students family. Of them, he said, “I hope as they grow older that they will always remain positive and enthusiastic about whatever they are doing and that they will not be discouraged when things get difficult.”

In 2019, he was honored by the Virginia General Assembly with House Joint Resolution No. 727. It stated: “Louis Kokonis has imparted his passion for lifelong learning to his students, many of whom went on to become physicists, engineers, doctors and professors.”

“Like the math he taught for 65 years, Mr. Kokonis was a constant in this ever-changing world. A fixture in the TCW/ACHS halls, he was a Titan in every sense of the word,” Vice Mayor Amy Jackson, a T.C. grad, told The Zebra.

Mr. Kokonis never thought of retiring, saying he would miss his fellow teachers and students.  He lived to teach, and gave his colleagues this advice: “Be enthusiastic about whatever you are teaching. Enjoy being a teacher and always do your best. Try to help every student to achieve the best that they can.”

His legacy is celebrated with the Louis Kokonis Teachers’ Legend Scholarship, sponsored by the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria. At the family’s request, “condolences can be shared through the scholarship,” according to an ACPS press release announcing his death.

This report has been updated. An earlier version said the vice mayor was one of Mr. Kokonis’ students, which was incorrect.

[SEE ALSO: Proposed Budget for Alexandria Schools Includes Funding for More Staff, Technology Upgrades, and Middle School Athletics]

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Our oldest son Wick was one of Mr. Kokonis’s students at what was then T.C. Williams High School, now Alexandria High School.

“Remember the Titans!” Much gratitude to Mr. Lou Kokonis for a life dedicated to education, young people, and making Alexandria and America better!

🇺🇸 Due Process Forever!

PWS

01-07-24

📚EDUCATION: “OSCAR LOVES LONG DIVISION!”😎

Oscar

https://97zokonline.com/wisconsin-5th-graders-adorable-thank-you-letter-to-his-math-teacher/

Wisconsin 5th Grader’s Adorable Thank You Letter to His Math Teacher

WISCONSIN 5TH GRADER’S ADORABLE THANK YOU LETTER TO HIS MATH TEACHER

Steve Shannon

Steve Shannon

Published: October 14, 2022

The young man who wrote this letter about his teacher wrote it straight from his heart. He surprised me with where he used the word “love”.

The Highlight Reel

I can always count on one segment of my daily show on 97ZOK to deliver a highlight for the week, it’s the reason for this letter I’m sharing with you. During the school year, we ask families to write letters to us about the teachers they love. Past or present, we just want to read stories about these remarkable human beings who dedicate their lives to our children’s education.

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Because of those letters, we’re able to do exactly what this 5th grader most wanted us to do.

97ZOK’s New Teacher of the Week

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Congratulations to Brice Gustafson from Fruzen Intermediate School in Beloit, Wisconsin.

Brice was nominated by Oscar Barolsky with this letter below:

I nominate Mr. G because he is very understanding of things. When I have a problem he does everything he can to solve the problem. He is a great math and English teacher, and when I need help in school he helps me. He tries to make class more fun by telling us stories where it could help the subject we are working on. He likes to make jokes about things. He teaches us interesting things. For example, I love long division and he taught us certain strategies that helped. I have been in his class for 2 years now, 4th and 5th grades. Overall he makes class super-duper fun, and that’s why I think he should be teacher of the week.

 

Nice work Mr. G. He doesn’t just love math, it’s long division Oscar loves, And that’s no easy task. Maybe it’s these donuts below that get them to love long division.

As Teacher of the Week, Brice was surprised with a cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes and money to spend at WM Day Spa.

Nominate your favorite teacher for 97ZOK’s Teacher of the Week by clicking HERE.

Read More: 97ZOK Teacher of the Week | https://97zokonline.com/wisconsin-5th-graders-adorable-thank-you-letter-to-his-math-teacher/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral

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Oscar Julian Barolsky, 11, of Beloit Wisconsin is our grandson. Way to go Oscar!

🇺🇸 Due Process Forever!

PWS

10-16-22