When Bethel Local School (BLS) students graduate or head home for summer break in June, some of them will be saying a sad goodbye to one of the school’s most popular teachers, Mr. Danny Elam, who will be retiring at the end of the current school year
Elam’s roots at Bethel run deep. Except for a brief stint in retirement four years ago, Elam has been teaching at Bethel for 29 years, most recently teaching both band and choir to Middle and High School students. But before he was a teacher, Elam was a Bethel student and graduated from BHS in 1973. He went on to study Music Education majoring in Percussion at Morehead State University in Kentucky. Elem then spent eight years teaching music in Lawrence County, KY., where he also met his wife, Tammy. However, Elam jokes, “At first she wouldn’t give me the time of day!” They eventually married and the growing Elam family soon moved to Ohio so Danny could teach at his Alma Mater while Tammy took a job teaching at Tecumseh Local Schools.
Mr. Elam has helped students accomplish much during his time at Bethel. He gestures to the walls of the Bethel High School music room lined with countless ensemble awards his students have won over the past 29 years. There are even more unseen awards his students have won individually. Elam says that this year alone, the band and choir have participated in 66 events altogether. What’s also impressive is how many students participate in Band and Choir in a school as small as Bethel. “There are 65 students in the concert band, which is just right in my mind,” comments Elam.
In addition to band and choir competitions and activities, BHS music students have produced a number of musicals that many would think were not possible for a small school like Bethel, such as their 2016 production of the musical, Les Miserable’.
The musical was presented in BLS’ auditorium, recently updated for the first time since 1976. Elam did much volunteer work to make the project happen because he wanted students and community members to have a great experience in the theater. Parish says, “I’m really proud of how nice the theater is, especially for a school as small as ours. People really like it...and Mr. Elam helped make it happen for us.”
In addition to his teaching duties, Elam remembers how he once served as the Junior Class Advisor in the 1990’s and helped the juniors plan the Jr/Sr. Prom--but insisted the event be moved to the gymnasium. Elam laughs, “Some of the kids whined and cried at first about doing the Prom in the gym and complained that it wouldn’t be special. But when they saw how the event finally turned out, they didn’t want to leave and we had to run ‘em out! So it was a big success every time.”
BHS alumna, Karen Williams, says of Mr. Elam, “He had a way of connecting with each of his students so they knew he cared about them...whenever I seemed to be struggling (at school) he would pull me aside after class and talk to me so I did not feel alone. Mr. Elam is like a father to everyone at Bethel. No student comes through his teaching without gaining a special respect and love towards him...He gave us a sense of meaning. If I could thank him every day for helping shape me into the person I have become, I would.”
Elam’s current students also have plenty of praise for their favorite teacher; some of whom have had him since 5th grade. “I really appreciate how much he challenges us to do our best,” says Maddie Callahan. Braden Parish agrees, “He really expects a lot from us, but it’s just because he wants us to do well.” Kylana Wanamaker, an aide for Elam, says she really appreciates him on many levels, “Mr. Elam is a great teacher, he’s also really involved with everything...He’s able to be a friend to us while being professional at the same time. He really understands us, even outside of music.”
Although Elam insists he is “boring,” his students and co-workers disagree, citing their favorite idiosyncrasy of his, “He wears a different tie every day and a lot of them are weird, especially his Christmas tie. He probably has a tie for very day of the year! He’s cheap too, because he won’t buy a tie if it is over $4.00.” However Elam maintains that they are only partly right, claiming “I’ll actually pay up to $5.00.” He mentions how the ties his students have purchased and signed for him over the years are “extra-special” to him.
Elam helps his students become civic-minded by taking small ensembles to play music at various events in the area and at local nursing homes, “I try to give the kids as many opportunities as possible to play music in the community. People really enjoy it, especially the nursing home residents, and it helps the kids think about others and how they can use their music in different ways.” Elam also plays percussion with local community groups on occasion.
Elam says he will miss teaching, but looks forward to his next chapter, “I have basically spent my life at Bethel, first as a student and then as a teacher. I will definitely miss it. But I have had a wonderful career and have worked the best job in the world with the best people in the world. All the kids in my past and present have helped make it that way. My wife and family have also supported me for the past 33 years and I look forward to spending more, much-needed time with them.”
Mr. Elam’s co-workers and students, past and present, say they wish Elam the very best as he moves on to life after Bethel. However, one student speaks for many of them when she simply and wistfully states, “I really like Mr. Elam and I’m really, really going to miss him.”
