Article by Arianne Goode
There are seven billion people living on this earth, and each person has his or her own story, almost as if there is a book written about every individual. Each book is heavy, worn with the experiences held in every sentence. If someone were to examine another's book, he or she would notice a single word engraved in elegant handwriting centered across the front cover: the person's name. People are defined by names. Names are stories in themselves, for they hold different characteristics and origins like people do. Some of the teachers here at NHS have names that are quite distinctive.
Lance Kosch, business and information technology teacher, is one with a name that has a hidden background. Kosch said that "Lance" comes from Latin origin, and "it means one who serves, (or) light spear." He said that his name "came from a soap opera that my mother watched." Mrs. Taryn Retzlaff, English teacher, said that she thinks hers "means something like 'rocky mountain'. "When asked if his name has a specific definition or origin, Tyson Koehn, art teacher, replied "not that I know of," and Mr. Jonathan Anderson, agriculture teacher, said "nope."
Though there are some who may not have a name with a definition or origin, many people do: lots of these names actually refer to biblical figures. "My parents got my first name from the Bible," Silas Fluellen, special education teacher, said. "Silas means 'Forest Dweller'... short for Silvanus." Fluellen also said "when people ask me where I got my name from, I can tell them a little about the Bible."
Mrs. Peggy Belt, English teacher, said that her name originates from "Margaret" and means "little pearl." Belt reflected that when she was baptized "the Catholic priest would not accept the name Peggy because it wasn't a saint's name." So, Belt was baptized as "Margaret" even though her legal name is "Peggy": "I kind of like that, though, because my mother's name is Margaret."
Belt's name is quite similar to family and consumer sciences teacher Mrs. Rita Sukup's name, which also means "pearl." Sukup was named after a saint who "dedicated her life to serving others." Sukup's name came from a tragic event, though: "I was named after my dad's neighbor, who died when she was 12."
Mrs. Becki Wulf, advisor of Alternatives for Success, and Mrs. Bethanie Miller, family and consumer sciences teacher, also have names with religious ties. Wulf's first name is actually "Rebecca," and "it is a biblical name." Miller's name has a specific definition: "'Daughter of God' is the meaning."
Sometimes nicknames will derive from first names, going on to become what the person prefers, just like with Mrs. Ginger Powell, social studies teacher. Powell's legal name is "Virginia," but she has always gone by "Ginger." Her name has an interesting historical background: "This was the name of the first English baby born in the New World: Virginia Dare in 1587 on Roanoke Island." Powell also went through the same situation as Belt, for she had to be baptized with the name of saint "Virginia," but she never goes by that name: "I am older and have not switched because I don't like that name!"
There are so many people in this world; so many who have his and her own stories to tell. A quotation was provided by Anderson which reflects his name, yet it sums up the beauty and uniqueness of every name: "I can say with confidence that many people will not correlate my name with sunshine, lollipops and rainbows, just because I am not perfect. Yet, there are special people in my life that hear my name and recall experiences of work, smiles, and love. And those people are the reason why I like my first name."
See this article (and others) in the November Panther Newspaper!
