Former teacher reminisces about time at local schools

Judy Chrapcynski is a former Struthers teacher who worked at Struthers Middle School and the now-gone Holy Trinity School – each for almost 14 years. She shared her memories about her years of teaching in the ’70s and ’80s with Dominick Commisso.

It all started with a “Help Wanted” notice in a church bulletin.

“The way it came about was a notice in the church bulletin that the diocese needed teachers and were willing to pay tuition to college,” Chrapcynski said. “I applied and the diocese paid my way through school, and I had to agree to teach there for at least two years. I also had to pay back half of the tuition which Father deducted from my pay checks. My first year, I was paid about $4,500. It was in 1972.
“I wanted to work at Holy Trinity since I belonged to that church.”

Thus began the life-changing job that defined Chrapcynski’s life.

“Working at Holy Trinity affected me in a very positive way. I loved that church very much,” Chrapcynski said. “Got married there, baptized my kids and grandkids there. It will always hold a special place in my heart.

“I loved the students I had and the great rapport I had with the parents. Teaching there was a great joy. I learned a lot from the students as I taught them, and I pray that I was a good influence on them.”

Holy Trinity School, Chrapcynski’s lifeblood, closed in the early 1990s.

“It broke my heart when the school closed, but it was a couple years after I had left. It was a very sad time.”

When she left Holy Trinity School in 1986, she was hired at Struthers Middle School and was shocked at the difference between the students.
“I cried my first few weeks there,” she said. “I started there in the middle of the school year, and the kids were very bad and very mean to me. They treated me like a substitute teacher.

“I would come home crying that maybe I made a mistake in switching schools. My salary was much higher, but I didn’t know if it was worth it. Two weeks into my new job was Valentine’s Day. I was in the lunch room and was called to the door. Three Holy Trinity kids were there with flowers for me. I burst into tears. They loved me, while these others hated me.”

Chrapcynski had a unique outlook on a typical student’s dreaded pastime.

“I believed in homework. I had a bulletin board I often used which said, ‘A day without homework is like a day without sunshine.’”

The former teacher spoke warmly about one of her idols.

“I know I had an English teacher in seventh grade who was my role model. She got in touch with me again about 8 years ago and visited me at my home. She died from Alzheimer’s. When I went to the funeral home, they had placed in her casket a book of poetry that I had given her.

“I remember I was her pet in school. Sometimes, she would take me shopping when I was in her seventh-grade class. I remember she bought me a dress and shoes one time. Also, I went to her house for dinner a few times. I will never forget her. If I had made a difference in the life of only one student, I would feel like a success. I followed her example and bought things for a few needy students I had.”

During her 13 and a half years of teaching, Chrapcynski saw plenty of changes at the school.

“There were always changes in staff. Some got jobs in public school and left Holy Trinity,” she said. “We had changes in nuns. I felt bad when Sister Barbara Ann left. Her replacement was more lenient, and I was used to Sister Barbara Ann’s strictness, especially when dealing with misbehavior on the bus. Sister Elizabeth Ann was principal for a time, and then another nun. Sister Mary Lawrence taught there for a long time.

“I had to change classrooms a few times because I was the 6th grade homeroom teacher and then 8th. My first three years there were in first grade.”

Some changes were a precursor to the school’s eventual demise.

“The enrollment at the school was always low,” she said. “It kept decreasing year after year, but it was great for teachers who didn’t have to cope with a lot of students. I probably had 20 or less. It was a far cry from public school where I had over 30.

“I was really concerned when rumors started about the school closing.”

Not all of her memories were bittersweet. Chrapcynski had plenty of warm recollections of the school.

“Some of my fondest memories are the years 1972 to 1986, when I taught at Holy Trinity. I looked forward to going to school every day. There is nothing better than going to a job that you really enjoy.

“In my music class, we had records and sang songs. Those kids knew all the patriotic songs, unlike kids today,” she said. “I had a dance record with instructions and we would move all the desks out of the way and the class would dance singly, not with partners. There were steps they followed all together and they performed when we had talent shows in the church hall with parents present. Every classroom had to have an act.

“I hope I made my classes fun. We played many learning games, but when it was time to work, they worked. I am proud to say that the ones who had me for English three years in a row really knew their grammar by the time they got to high school. The high school teacher in Struthers told me she always knew which students had me for a teacher. My social studies students were able to fill in a blank map of the United States and they knew all the capitals.”

“I tried to have the students do different crafts in art class. We made plaster casts of various things and then painted them. I had many different plaster casts: animals, flowers, religious items, etc.

“I worked at every bizarre and festival. They were a good way to make money for the church. Holy Trinity festival was always an exciting thing. Even when I was a teenager, my friends and I always looked forward to it.

“I liked all the teachers. We got along well. I especially liked Sister Barbara Ann and my daughter’s second grade teacher, Miss Willmitch.
“We had Christmas parties in each classroom. Halloween dress-up. I made sure I had gifts for students for every holiday. Mostly candy treats in special little bags denoting the holiday. When I taught 6-7-8, I had to buy quite a few. If I traveled, I would always bring back little souvenirs, such as pencils, not much, but they always appreciated it.

“I don’t remember having dances, but I had records with line dance instructions which we did in the classroom during what we called gym time. It was great fun.

“ I enjoyed the talent programs the students took part in, and the festivals were fun. I enjoyed coaching the spelling champions and they did very well in the Vindicator Spelling Bees. When we finally got sports in the school, I enjoyed the basketball games. Of course, my son, Jeff, was one of the players.

“I wrote articles about the school for the Struthers Journal and also mailed articles which were published in the Vindicator.

“One year, three of my boys wrote books and we were interviewed by Dan Rivers when he had a morning TV show about education. We were on TV. The Vindicator came a number of times to take pictures of me and my spelling champs. One picture showed me working with Michelle Kacir with spelling words on the computer. My ace speller was Sheryl Sutton, who was the school champ for three years in a row. In eighth grade, she was runner-up in the Vindicator spelling bee. I often wonder how she is doing today.”

Chrapcynski reflected on how her students taught her as much as she taught them.

“While teaching, I learned much from their books and more from them,” she said. “Each student was unique and had to be treated differently. They had different ways of learning. I would stay after school with some to help them. Some learned from the written word and some learned from the spoken word. I learned how to relate to teenagers. I learned that you have to let your hair down and be a kid with them at times. I learned that they love to joke around.

“Also, I learned that praise is a wonderful motivational tool.”

“My students will be a part of my heart forever. May God bless them.”

Chrapcynski was interviewed by Dominick Commisso, 16, a member of Holy Trinity Church who is currently attending Lowellville High School. Commisso is working on a project to expand the archives at Christ Our Savior Parish. He is the son of Angel Commisso of Lowellville.