Portola Valley PTA honors two teachers Portola Valley PTA honors two teachers (October 08, 2003)

Alicia Seebold, an Ormondale first-grade teacher, and Dan Flahavan, a Corte Madera physical education teacher, will be honored this week in Portola Valley for their exceptional work. Ms. Seebold has been teaching for 40 years and Mr. Flahavan for 10.

The occasion is the Portola Valley PTA's service-recognition reception at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, October 8, in the multi-use room at Corte Madera School, 4575 Alpine Road.

Students -- past and present -- parents, teachers and friends of the honorees are invited. Light refreshments will be served.

Alicia Seebold

Many think of Ms. Seebold as the consummate first-grade teacher, in whose class everyone learns to read. However, she began her career teaching second grade. It was at Solana Beach School after she graduated from Stanford, married Jim Seebold, and moved to the San Diego area.

The Seebolds returned to the Peninsula in 1962, when Alicia Seebold was hired to teach third grade at Corte Madera School, and her husband returned to Stanford for graduate school.

Ms. Seebold later taught first grade at Corte Madera and served as a special education teacher, working part-time while their two daughters were small. Returning to full-time teaching, she taught fifth grade at Ormondale before becoming firmly ensconced in first-grade.

Dan Flahavan

Mr. Flahavan recalls former Superintendent Jim Shroyer offered him a job teaching physical education in Portola Valley, after watching him teach a practice lesson during his final year at Sacramento State University.

Mr. Flahavan has taught co-ed PE at Corte Madera for the past 10 years, supervised noon league, and administered the growing after-school sports program.

Most recently, he has revamped the PE curriculum for the middle school with co-teacher Kate Hennessy, adding such instruction as team multicultural/net games and salsa dancing. Their philosophy is to help every student develop a lifelong commitment to fitness through activities that are challenging and fun, he said.

Sharing memories

People who have memories or anecdotes to share about these teachers are invited to contact the PTA. Send information about Alicia Seebold to Cathy Carlson at Cathy@carlsonland.com or by calling 529-1707. Send information about Dan Flahavan to Maryann Derwin at maryann@derwin.com or by calling 851-8074.