Teacher awarded ‘Golden Apple’ for 50 years at St. Paul School

By Tim Kalinowski on July 2, 2021.

Submitted photo St. Paul teacher Delores Dante was recently recognized for 50 years of teaching by the Holy Spirit School District Board of Trustees.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDtkalinowski@lethbridgeherald.com

St. Paul Elementary School teacher Delores Dante celebrated an important milestone this school year with her colleagues and students. Dante celebrated 50 years of being a teacher, and 50 years at St. Paul’s. She was recently awarded the “Golden Apple” trophy for longtime service by the Holy Spirit School District Board of Trustees.
“As far back as I can remember all I ever wanted to do was be in a classroom,” says Dante. “I would line up my dolls on my bed. I would read to them. I would do numbers with them. And my greatest joy was to be able to pass on the passion I had for learning. And moving forward, and pushing myself outside of the box, has been an ongoing theme in my whole life. So for me, that’s all I ever wanted to do, and I have been blessed with 50 years of happiness in the classroom.”
Dante has, in some cases, taught three generations of students from the same family at St. Paul’s, and notes while education has changed in its focus and approach to teaching many times some fundamentals have always remained the same.
“Each generation came with different challenges, different aspects of the education field that were viewed as significant, but the bottom line is to take the child, love them, and then you worry about teaching them,” she says. “But you need to love them first, and if you don’t love what you are doing then it becomes a very difficult day. I come every day as happy as can be, and sometimes I wonder: who is happier? Me? Or the kids? Some days it’s me, to be honest with you.”
Dante says one of her proudest moments as a teacher was when she was given the Blackfoot name “Naha,” which translates as Mother, a few years back.
“When I was bestowed the Blackfoot name of Naha, it had two significant meanings for me,” she says. “Number one; that I was recognized as the mother to the new children that were coming, and I was using my mothers’ instincts to work with them. But it was also very significant to me because it was bestowed on me by an Elder, that being someone outside of the school, recognized the work I was doing.
“To me that was very special, and will always remain as an imprint on my heart.”
Dante, who in her career has taught Kindergarten, Grade 3 and is currently the school’s Language Learning Literacy Intervention Teacher, says, in truth, the last 50 years have gone by like a dream, and she has no plans for retirement.
“It’s not even on the horizon,” she says. “As long as my health is good, I will be back here with a big smile on my face and happy to meet the new crew.”

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