Nine members of the Northshore School District community were inducted into the Wall of Honor on Aug. 16 at Pop Keeney Stadium during a ceremony that honored and recognized their contributions to the community, the state and the nation.
The new members, which included alumni, staff and volunteers, were: Mario Andaya, Bothell High School class of 1989; Eric Barnum, Northshore teacher and administrator; Lucy DeYoung, Inglemoor High School class of 1967; Dwight Funai, Bothell High School class of 1965; Laurel Petersen James, Bothell High School class of 1953; Irene Millikan, Bothell High School class of 1963; Stephen Mladineo, Bothell High School class of 1961; Sheron Mohan, Northshore teacher and principal; and Florence Smith Sperling, Northshore administrator.
Northshore Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid, who introduced the inductees, said the honorees set an example for current and future students.
“My hope is our students, and the tens of thousands who will pass through in coming generations, will be inspired by the Wall of Honor and the legacy of excellence within our Northshore School District community,” Reid said in a press release.
Mohan, who taught first grade at Moorlands Elementary School and administered the Sorenson School, said she was honored to be recognized for her efforts of investing in other people.
“For years I’ve been supporting, encouraging and inspiring people, whether they’re first graders or university students,” Mohan said in a press release. “I’m humbled to be added to the wall.”
Mohan added that she was surprised and thrilled to see one of her former first-grade students, Wade Metz, whom she had not seen in 43 years, attend the ceremony.
“I was so excited to see him after all this time!” Mohan said in the release.
“It’s so fantastic that she has been inducted,” Metz said in the release. “She was my favorite teacher all of those years!”
Funai, who is a fundraiser for the fights against cancer and multiple sclerosis and other causes, said he was humbled to be one of this year’s inductees.
“I learned years ago that, when you’re successful, it’s not enough to just give to charity,” Funai said. “You have to get involved. But I didn’t do it for the honors or anything like that. It was the right thing to do.”
Garrel Sperling Lindberg accepted the honors in place of her mother, Sperling, who passed away.
Lindberg said her mother broke barriers by initiating Northshore’s Elementary Libraries and a regional reading center in Bothell and believed that reading was essential for all learning.
“My mother really believed that everybody should have a chance to improve their reading,” Lindberg said in a press release. “Not just for fun, but for science and all other subjects.”
The Wall of Honor was unveiled in 2010 and now includes a total of 97 members.
