Tuesday, April 24, 2018
I'm so sorry for your loss. I remember Miss Cafferky very well! She made quite an impression on me at Carroll High School. I graduated from Carroll in 1994 and am currently the Director of Alumni Relations there. Miss Cafferky definitely made an impact at Carroll. I thought you might be interested in seeing what we included in our 50th Anniversary History Book about Miss Cafferky (written in 2011):
Miss Cafferky taught social studies at Carroll High School for 40 years, from 1969 until 2009. Classes she taught included Honors Global Studies E, Life in America, U.S. History, and Politics and Government. The most important lessons she tried to convey to her students were to encourage voter registration and to become involved in politics. She worked with local Boards of Election so that students could register at school.
Mr. Mike Rakel states: “Miss Cafferky had a tremendous understanding of the workings of government and the political process. She had a wonderful ability to impart her knowledge to her students in a way that made learning enjoyable. She served as the Social Studies department chair from 2005 until her retirement. She also served on numerous school committees and always had the well-being of Carroll students as her main priority. She was an extraordinary educator, colleague and friend.” Mr. Tom Hoefler states: “Pat was Student Council Moderator and Junior Class Moderator for many years. She always did an excellent job in those areas. She had a tremendous command of the people that were involved in all three branches of government.”
In Global Studies E, Miss Cafferky helped make history come alive, especially with stories associated with Anastasia and the Russian Revolution. Jonathan Pyles ’00 also has memories associated with her class: “I didn’t have Miss Cafferky until my senior year for AP Politics and Government. My fondest memory was her sense of humor. She would tell the most hilarious jokes, but would always use a completely deadpan delivery, so that many students wouldn’t even realize she was joking, which made it even funnier. I didn’t have a huge interest in politics before Miss Cafferky’s class and politicians and the whole political system I still find mostly depressing, but despite that, I do have an almost giddy excitement for the drama of watching the returns come in on election night that I attribute entirely to Miss Cafferky’s influence. And, to her credit, she would always balance clips from CSPAN with political sketches from Saturday Night Live, so there was always something to look forward to.”
The hardest thing for Miss Cafferky, when she retired, was leaving the people. She states: “The faculty, administration, and the students were a great group to work with.”
