Hometown Hero: Claire Carter by Britteny Martinson

Claire Carter with son Jack

“Academically, I was failing most of my classes. I did not care for school and I was lucky if I made it to school every day,” said Westwood senior Cortney Moore. “By eleventh grade, I was short over half of my credits that I needed to graduate.”  It was this dilemma which motivated Moore to nominate Claire Carter of Campbell County High School as one of Gillette’s Hometown Heroes.
“Mrs. Carter, my English and Journalism teacher, asked me one day if I wanted to graduate and then suggested I apply at Westwood” added Moore.  “She had nothing but good things to say about the teachers, principal, and their way of teaching. I did not think too much about it until I was eventually told there was no way I would be able to graduate on time. The next day, I drug my dad into Westwood with me and I applied. Principal Ron Butler told me they were full until the end of October.”
“I told Mrs. Carter the bad news. She was sympathetic and told me she was glad I would still be in her class.  Just three days before the new quarter started, I got a call from Westwood.  They told me they changed their minds and to be at the school Monday morning at seven thirty.”
“Monday morning, Ron introduced himself to me and said, ‘You have a very big fan at the high school.  Mrs. Carter contacted me and changed my mind about letting you attend our school.’ I had no idea that she had gone out of her way to make sure I got into Westwood. If it were not for Claire Carter, I most certainly would not be graduating this fall.”
“I love my students; it’s as simple as that, “ said Carter, who graduated from CCHS in 1981, and has been teaching English and Journalism since 1986.  She returned to Gillette in 2007 to raise her five-year old son Jack and to teach at her alma mater.
Carter has done many other things to make school a better place to be. She made learning hands on, and if students did an assignment, she did it too.  When students wrote in their hand-sewn journals, she wrote in hers and would share about her life.
To encourage the love of reading, Carter spends her personal money to buy each of her students the novels of their choice.  “I log into Amazon.com and we go shopping.” In the past school year, Carter purchased over 300 novels for her students.  “If they own the book, they are more likely to read it.  Especially if it’s a book of their choice.”
Show and tell may sound like it’s just for little kids, but sophomores all brought something that meant a lot to them and talked about why it was special in front of the class. Carter would make sure each student finished each assignment and would give extra help until it was done well.  On nice days, the class could sit outside and do their work.
“Mrs. Carter was trustworthy,” said Moore.  “Students could tell her anything and she would never repeat it.  She could always tell if something was bothering someone and she would try her hardest to fix whatever it was.”  Carter would welcome classmates back if they were sick or gone on vacation. Comfy chairs and couches filled the room and students are allowed to sit in them if as long as their work is completed.
“I think of my students as flowers I’m nurturing,” Carter added.  “They have the ability to bloom with plenty of TLC.”  An avid gardener, she gives her students envelopes full of seeds from her own garden at the end of the school year.  “My students bloom beautifully.”
“Respect is a big concept with her,” Moore continued. “She made sure everyone was treated with respect.  She shook hands the first day of class with each student.”  Treats and hot chocolate are commonplace, and enlarged pictures of each student in her class were filled with positive comments and hung on the walls.
“I try to show all my students that I respect them,” said Carter, an energetic and enthusiastic redhead.  “I also know that I have to earn their respect, and I try.”  Carter doesn’t miss out on the opportunity to help her students in any way she can, and she will never give up, or let them either.