Posted Thursday, June 8, 2006, The OG, features

More than 150 well-wishers attended the retirement reception for math teacher Elizabeth Jockusch Monday night at the Levis Faculty Center. Two members of the Pynk Pyritz chamber trio — new graduate Angelina Liang and rising junior Claire Johnson — provided string music, along with fine arts executive teacher Rick Murphy on the piano later. Jockusch, who is retiring after 26 years at Uni, received tributes from students past and present, who attested to her ability to nurture an appreciation and understanding of advanced mathematics, especially calculus. Some of her recent calculus students gave her a Klein Bottle, which they all signed. Director/Principal Kassie Patton presented Jockusch with an 11x17 color enlargement of the photo that appeared in The News-Gazette last month after she won the 2006 Edyth May Sliffe Award for Distinguished High School Mathematics Teaching from the Mathematical Association of America. (Click here for Online Gargoyle coverage of the honor.) The award was given to only 24 teachers in the entire country. She was nominated for the award by students Mo Kudeki and Yuzuko Nakamura (both seniors at the time) and sophomore Alex Zhai (then a sophomore), who were photographed in The News-Gazette with Jockusch. The formal portion of the reception ended with comments from Jockusch about her time at Uni, which began in 1976 but was interrupted by a four-year hiatus. Her hope for Uni's recently graduated seniors? That they find work they love as much as she loved teaching math at Uni High.

photos by Marilyn Upah-Bant

Click photos to enlarge