Volunteer of the Year

SURPRISE! Our very deserving Grammy won the Huntsman Award for Volunteer of the Year 2012! It was a fabulous day and a great surprise. We couldn't be more proud of her.

John M. Huntsman's wife, Karen, came to Dee school to present Grammy with the award. She apparently had forgotten that the assembly was that day; She was forty-five minutes late, forcing Grammy to entertain all of the children on the piano, and Grammy's family and friends to be stuck like sardines in the principals office so we wouldn't ruin the surprise. It was all worth it though when Karen surprised Grammy, who thought she had come to play a couple numbers prior to an assembly, with a check for $10,000.00!

After the award was presented, the kids sang their school song to Grammy. She couldn't help but run around to the back of the piano to accompany them.

The best part of the afternoon was watching the students, and even some former students who had come to honor Grammy, line up for hugs after the assembly. They had us in tears!

The interview...

We love our Grammy!

The Ogden Standard Examiner wrote a great article about Grammy's special day.

This is what the Deseret News had to say:

After retiring from full-time teaching in 1999, Phyllis Savage has spent the last 13 years volunteering with kindergarten and first-grade classes in Ogden, as well as teaching music in four elementary schools during the summer months. In that time, the Ogden School District estimates that Savage has spent 8,000 hours volunteering in schools, not including the time she spends with pre-kindergarten students in the Children's Treehouse Museum.

She is described as a maestro of music and a maestro of life. Savage uses music to promote literacy and social skills. She enhances the learning opportunities for children, especially those with challenging backgrounds.

As a teacher and now, as a volunteer, she remains an educational cornerstone in her commitment to the learning of every student entering Ogden schools.