It was a special day for students and teachers at Central Intermediate School in Wadsworth this past Friday.
A ribbon was cut and ground was broken for Van Auken Field to honor the memory of Dan Van Auken, a fifth grade teacher at Central Intermediate, who died on July 6, 2014 after a courageous battle with cancer. He was just 34 years old.
The field is located just to the east of the school in what is now an empty field. The goal is to develop an outdoor fitness area and a walking track for student and community use. Dan Van Auken was not only a great math teacher, but an avid runner and shared his love of fitness with his students.
During a school assembly, a number of students, teachers and Dan’s father Steve Van Auken shared their memories of Dan.
Joanne Gahan, principal at Central Intermediate School set the mood for the gathering. “Today is a great day. It’s a day to honor a great teacher and see the beginning of a great project at CIS” Gahan said.
“He didn’t say much, but, he always knew what to say” said Elizabeth Davis, a teaching partner of Mr. Van Auken. “He always saw the best in people and he used that to become an amazing teacher”.
But, it was the words of CIS students that had Dan Van Auken as a teacher that really hit home. “During an Ohio State day, he was the only one who walked through the lunch room with a Michigan flag. He knew that being different was okay and he taught me that” said student MacKenna Blackburn.
“Last year, Mr. Van Auken was not only teaching math, but was teaching living. He was teaching all of us” said Steve Van Auken, Dan’s father. “Thank you for all your work to make Van Auken Field a reality for all of us to enjoy for a long time to come”.
