If the name Traci Simrell sounds familiar, it's probably because you’ve heard of her tireless work as a Pre-Kindergarten teacher at Benjamin Franklin Elementary School, where there is also now the Traci Cares Food Pantry. Sadly, Traci passed away due to COVID in 2020, but her legacy is living on at the school.
The small playground outside the Pre-K classrooms at Franklin now features some new tools to help students develop a love of learning and a greater sense of imagination. A new covered reading area and little free library in her name will allow them to pull up a good book outside. Also, the new running water area and fruit stand are enhancing students’ play as well.
“To do this in memory of somebody who was so dedicated like her to the Pre-K program is just really great to be able to have it,” said Janice Brown, a teaching assistant at Franklin Elementary, who knew Traci well. “The kids love it. It’s like Christmas Day every day.”
Traci loved her students dearly, so much so that she saw them as a second family. Traci’s mother Kathy says that teaching was in her daughter’s blood. Often times as a child when Traci would play pretend with others, she would pretend to be a teacher. It was something that she always wanted to be.
“Traci's legacy will be immortalized through her dedication to both her family and her passion for teaching,” her mother Kathy explains. “Her ultimate objective was to cultivate lasting friendships and provide her students with an education. She took great joy in imparting knowledge and creating meaningful experiences. Witnessing the young students engage in voluntary reading would have been an indication that she had fulfilled her mission.”
