In a recurring column by Cary Collins, the President of the Maple Valley Historical Society, we briefly highlight the careers of Tahoma School District personnel and ask, “Where are they now?”
In the first installment, Teacher’s Corner features D’Ann Tedford, a 1963 TaHoMa High School graduate who subsequently became an educator at her alma mater.
Growing up in Maple Valley on a Lake Francis farm purchased in 1949, D’Ann hails from a sizable family that, between her five siblings, multiple nieces and nephews, and her spouse and their three children, has spent about two hundred years teaching or being taught in Tahoma schools.
D’Ann’s tenure at Tahoma High School spanned from 1977 to 1984 and at Maple Valley High School from 1988 to 2001. In early retirement, she worked as a theme reader for Tahoma High School English teachers and was the editor-publisher of the Tahoma School District newsletter.
Guiding D’Ann towards a career in education was her “state-of-the-art” Tahoma journalism teacher, Bill Ziegner. When he retired from Tahoma High School, D’Ann was hired to step into his classroom, big shoes to fill but an experience she describes as “truly incredible,” collaborating with those who had previously been her own teachers.
The Central Washington State University graduate taught journalism and acted as an advisor to yearbook and the school newspaper.
In addition, she designed courses for teens like “The Dad’s Class” at Maple Valley Alternative High School. D’Ann found the alternative high school the most effective teaching format, affording her opportunities for personal and professional growth.
In 2004, D’Ann discovered senior coed sports and joined three: softball, volleyball, and bowling. She is most often found outdoors camping or engaging inside at the keyboard. D’Ann also dedicates herself to community service projects, including overseeing the construction of a “Tiny Home for the Homeless” and creating/burying a Maple Valley time capsule. She continues to be a freelance feature writer published in the VOICE of the Valley.
As D’Ann aptly summarizes, “I‘ve Led the Write Life!”
