Sallee and Perry Honored for Great Service to the School

The St. Stephen’s Episcopal School community gathered in Upper School Chapel on Jan. 19, 2018, to honor two long-serving members of the school faculty: Shelley Sallee, Ph.D., history department chair, and Charlton Perry, history teacher and director of the Devil’s Canyon Wilderness Program. Both teachers were honored by students, who spoke about the great impact these instructors have had on them.

 

Junior boarding student Sirah Diallo helped recognize Sallee, who joined St. Stephen’s in 1998. “I’ve had Mrs. Sallee as an advisor ever since my sophomore year,” Diallo said. “Over time I began to notice and really appreciate her quirkiness and her willingness to share funny stories about her life. I will never forget when we were having chips and salsa — and debating about the best salsa — Mrs. Sallee told us a story in how her family loved a certain brand of salsa so much that they bought all the cases left in the store! That’s more than 72 jars of salsa!

 

“Mrs. Sallee, I want to thank you so much for being a great advisor and for your 20 years of teaching at St. Stephens,” Diallo added.

 

Senior boarding student Maria Martinez also helped honor the beloved teacher and dorm parent. “I first met Dr. Sallee during an open house back in 2014,” Martinez explained. “Her patience while explaining to my parents and me where to go and how to find Hines Hall really influenced the way I started to view St. Stephens. Throughout my four years here, Dr. Sallee has been a supportive and encouraging advisor. She has never failed to empower me as an individual. Today, I want to thank her for being a salsa-loving role model who has served her community for the past 20 years. So thank you; you’re amazing! We love you!”

Next at the podium was senior day student Isaac Tilin, who helped recognize Perry, a member of the St. Stephen’s faculty since 1996. “Mr. Perry is one of the most unique and valuable faculty members at St. Stephen's, and I have really enjoyed getting to know him better throughout the past couple of years,” Tilin said. “Mr. Perry is extremely dedicated and passionate about everything he is involved with around school and always goes above and beyond what is required of him as a faculty member.

“One story about him, in particular, stands out to me: Five years ago on a Big Bend trip, a group of St. Stephen’s students got lost while hiking. As the sun began to fall, the group called for help over a walkie-talkie. Mr. Perry immediately filled as many water containers he could carry, put on a headlamp and proceeded to run straight up the mountainside. Bystanders at the bottom said they could see a flashing light near the top of the mountain coming from the stranded group and Mr. Perry’s headlamp moving quickly toward it in a straight line. One of the faculty members had been injured during the hike, and Mr. Perry helped carry them down the mountain just after he had run up with the water. Thanks to Mr. Perry, everyone made it down safely!

“To me, this story captures Mr. Perry’s dedication and willingness to go the extra mile (sometimes literally) as a member of the St. Stephen’s community,” Tilin concluded. “We are all extremely lucky to have had you as a member of our community for the past 22 years, and we wish you the best in your next 20!”

Congratulations, to these outstanding teachers! The St. Stephen’s community is honored by your dedication to our students and our school.