Miss Elaine Roper will be retiring from Delta Middle School this year after nearly 40 years in the classroom. She has been a dedicated and accomplished educator that will truly be missed. Elaine graduated from Southern Utah University in 1984 with a degree in elementary education and early childhood education. She began her teaching career in Roosevelt Utah where she taught both first and then third grade. After teaching there for four years she made the decision to get closer to family and accepted a 5th grade position at Delta Middle School in 1988. During the 35 years she has been at DMS, she has taught both 5th and 6th grade.
Throughout the years she has dedicated to teaching, she has always exceeded and surpassed all expectations in her planning, preparation, and classroom teaching. She has always had high expectations for her students and she has helped them demonstrate that success in all their accomplishments. She has always taught her students that when things get tough, hard work, dedication, and perseverance bring success and satisfaction that could not be achieved in any other way. Her students recognized her warm, kind-hearted nature and rose to the occasion.
She has impacted countless lives and has a heart of gold. One of her many talents was to find class books that the students would love to hear her read during that “golden hour” right after lunch. Miss Roper loves to travel and was able to incorporate that love into her classroom teaching. Students could often be found in her classroom practicing origami, and beading techniques. She has instilled her love for Japan and other cultures in her students. It will be difficult to measure the breadth of her influence in our community.
We feel privileged to have seen her fine work in the classroom throughout the years and feel fortunate to have been able to work with her and observe her love for her students. Her colleagues will miss her friendship, her good nature, her quick wit, and her infectious laugh, but understand that after 39 years in the classroom she has earned a well-deserved and happy retirement. We all wish her the very best in all that life offers at this great time of life!!
