Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 12-18-20

Feature
Class Dismissed:
H. W. Blake Director Of Creative Writing — Casey Curry Retires
Casey Curry, long term educator at Howard W. Blake Fine Arts High School, will re- tire at the end of December. Mrs. Curry has taught at Blake, leading the writing program for the past thirteen years. Moving to Tampa fif- teen years ago, she began her teaching career in Hillsbor- ough County as the gifted teacher at Oak Park Elemen- tary School, on the recom- mendation of then Area Director, Henry ‘Shake’ Washington.
During her time at Blake, Mrs. Curry directed three poetry and prose perform- ances each year. She was also responsible for the publica- tion of individual student chapbooks and an annual lit- erary magazine titled, Synapse. Student writers in the program auditioned for entry and came from all over the county. If selected the stu- dents “majored” in Creative Writing and had two classes with Mrs. Curry each year.
As the wife of a career mil- itary officer, Mrs. Curry moved often and has taught in San Diego, Washington, D. C., and Virginia. Mrs. Curry also taught Art and Art His- tory at the Naval Academy Primary School in Annapolis, Maryland. Mrs. Curry did
not enjoy the luxury of long- term teaching until her family settled in Tampa and her hus- band retired from military service. She was recruited at Blake by then Principal, Jacqueline Haynes. Mrs. Haynes read Mrs. Curry’s first book, I Remember You Today, and asked her if she was interested in leading the Creative Writing Department. Mrs. Curry accepted the po- sition as it was a marriage of her greatest passions – the arts, writing and literacy and helping young people. For her, Blake was love at first sight.
A huge part of the pro- gram beyond getting the stu- dents published and their writing polished was contest. Creative Writing students have won countless local, state and national awards. These include the State Po- etry Out Loud Competition two consecutive years, the Charlie Hounchell Art Stars Awards, the Arts for Life, Po- etry Jam, and Hillsborough County Teachers of English Awards.
Of these accomplish- ments, Mrs. Curry is most proud of bringing the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards program to Blake High School.Her students win
MRS. CASEY CURRY
regional and national awards for their writing in this pro- gram, often traveling to the annual awards ceremony in New York at Carnegie Hall. They are also published in the annual Scholastic – Best of Teen Writing. In 2018 one of Mrs. Curry’s students won best in grade in the nation.
Additionally, the program boasts a 99% college matricu- lation rate. Mrs. Curry worked extremely hard to get her students college ready and to ensure that they went to school. This included tak- ing them on college tours, bringing in speakers and working with the parents and the Blake Guidance Depart- ment to ensure the students received scholarships and the
support they needed to suc- ceed.
It is always difficult to leave something you love, but it is important to know when it is time to go. Although Mrs. Curry will no longer be in the classroom, she will con- tinue to write and has plans to support Howard W. Blake students by establishing scholarships and programs that will further assist emerg- ing writers.
Mrs. Curry looks for- ward to the next chapter in her life and to watching who- ever replaces her at Blake tak- ing the program to even
higher heights. If the moving thirteen times in 37 years of marriage taught her nothing else, she says she has learned this. "None of us is irreplace- able, none of us are indispen- sable, and those who think otherwise are dangerous."
Mrs. Curry is the author of three published books, I Remember You Today, Promises and A Pillar Of Fire.
She is married to Retired
Naval Capt. Bruce Curry
and they are parents to four daughters. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and the Tampa Chapter of The Links, Inc.
PAGE 2-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2020