Happy Anniversary to Us!!!

Happy 20th Anniversary!!!

Wow! This month marks the 20th anniversary of the opening of Langsford Learning Acceleration Centers!  We are so excited that we've decided to celebrate all year long!!  Watch here and on our website for upcoming events, as we have many funs things planned.  Speaking of Langsford Center, did you see the recent article on us in the Courier Journal?  If not, click here!

We Miss You, Carolyn

As I pause to remember a dear coworker, Carolyn, who passed from this earth on this day last year, I am reminded of the words of the great Roman philosopher Seneca who observed that "things hard to bear are sweet to remember."  

Losing Carolyn was a painful blow to all who knew and loved her, and how could anyone not love her?  Despite being more gravely ill than most of us realized, Carolyn was always smiling and upbeat, going about her life without squandering a moment.  

She was my Secret Santa one year and each special surprise I got was funnier than the last.  She didn't know me well personally, but managed to make me unique little gifts reflecting incredible insight into who I am as a person and what I take most delight in.

Carolyn was deeply invested in our clients and wanted everyone she worked with to know the joy of reading.  This gift of giving continues each day at Langsford, as instructors pull out hand-drawn "game boards" that Carolyn lovingly made so that the kids she taught would have reading and spelling games to play with favorites like Sponge Bob, or puppies, or robots to entice them to practice their new skills.  

In our staff room you will find a canvas of bright green, a backdrop for a painting of sunflowers she'd planned on doing for us.  In some ways it's proven to be better by not being finished.  I think each of us who looks at it are pulled into the variations of green and led down a road of memories of Carolyn that seem to take form and shape from the clouds of color.  

While losing her was hard to bear, Carolyn's spirit lives on within the walls of Langsford  and the hearts of us all.  

In loving memory of Carolyn Oakley

12/02/1958  --  04/26/2010

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM THE LANGSFORD STAFF

Wishing you Happy Holidays and all the best in the new year!!

Some Pictures from the Holiday Party!

Rhonda gets a new pair of earrings for Christmas!

Tony and Toni enjoying the applause they got for their duet

Linda and Kristin

A great shot of Kara!

Kim, oblivious to the fact that Margaret is about to pounce upon her!

OOOOHHHH.....the party is TONIGHT!

Chef Callie and her lovely assistant

Jerry's wife telling an embarrassing story about him??

Karen, Kathleen and Callie

Claudia--the charming hostess

Announcing a New Arrival!

Joy Marie

One of our instructors has a new addition to his family. We congratulate Joseph and Jessica on the birth of their daughter, Joy Marie. We hear that her three older brothers love having a new baby sister! And what a little angel she is!

Langsford Cornhole Tournament

The "Langsford family" got together in the parking lot one recent evening and a rowdy good time was had by all! After a dinner of Mexican food, we paired up and battled each other for bragging rights for winning the cornhole competition.

It was a tough competition and finally we all let Jenny and Jeff win.

(Just kidding-they won fair and square!)

Here's a picture of the winning cornhole duo:

After the competition, we topped off the evening

with lively conversation and ice cream sandwiches.

A great way to end a workday!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM THE LANGSFORD STAFF

All of us at Langsford Learning Center would like to wish

you and your families

Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!

Here's a little peek at our Langsford staff and their families at our annual Christmas Party.

Enjoy!

Kristin's Decade at Langsford

Recently, one of our Learning Coordinators, Kristin, celebrated her tenth anniversary working with Langsford. As a celebratory gift, Kristin received a beautiful cut-glass bowl engraved with a special thank-you for her years of enthusiastic commitment.

Regarding her decade at Langsford, Kristin says, “This is by far the best job I've ever had AND the best working environment. Working with people who are truly invested in a common purpose, with little regard for personal gain, is a delight.”

Before coming to Langsford, Kristin specialized in Special Education, with a particular focus on children with severe behavioral and emotional difficulties. For twenty years she worked in a variety of settings in many different states, before finally leaving JCPS to work full-time at Langsford. She still thinks it was the best decision she ever made.

We agree! Thanks, Kristin, and here’s to another ten years!

Toni's 5 Year Anniversary!

Toni recently celebrated her 5 year anniversary here at Langsford! She is a lively instructor, dedicated to creating independent learners. We've really missed her the last couple of weeks, as she had to take a little time off for a medical procedure.

Apparently Langsford Staff aren't the only ones missing her. On a recent trip to see her, we found one of her favorite students sitting there visiting her! She'll be back soon and all the staff and students here wish her a speedy recovery!

Langsford Celebrates 17 Years

Langsford Learning Acceleration Centers recently celebrated 17 years of helping students learn to read, spell and comprehend. Here's a picture of the yummy cake Plehn's Bakery made for the party:


And here's a picture of Stephen and Claudia with the Langsford Staff in the background. This picture turned out to be the calm before the storm because everyone was really hungry. If you look carefully, you can see that the staff was ready to eat and tired of picture-taking:



Oh sure, you might think that's the traditional "peace" sign someone is flashing behind Claudia, but really it was someone using their fingers to simulate scissors and yelling "Cut the cake! Cut the cake!"

Then, when Stephen finally did begin to cut the cake, he took forever because he had to painstakingly line up each knife cut perfectly. Now, this tendency for perfection is certainly useful when helping a student match all the words in the sentence she's reading, but in this situation, it only increased the restlessness. A real free-for-all began when everyone wanted a piece that included logo icing.

Whew, it's a good thing company birthday celebrations only happen once a year. If you have some good tips on how to clean bright green icing off of bright yellow walls, let us know, okay?

Margaret and Tyler

Margaret is one of our instructors who teaches mainly in our Middletown office. I don't think I really need to tell you that both Tyler and Margaret are two energetic and fun people. But I guess I just did anyway.