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Union Heights hosted its dedication ceremony to name the school’s library after Kay Creech, an educator who died after a battle with cancer. Creech dedicated her career sharing her love of reading to her students.

Union Heights Principal James Patrick gave a presentation about Creech and her history with the school.

“Every educator leaves a legacy when they get out of the business.” Patrick said. “Kay Creech is one of those educators.”

“Teaching was her calling, reading was her passion and children were her hope for the future,”

Patrick explained how her love for teaching went outside the classroom.

“When your talk with others about Kay and teaching you get a quick sense she was called to this profession. She not only was a teacher to her students but she was also a mentor to many educators here at Union Heights.”

Patrick spoke about how she worked to share her love of reading to the many students who walk the halls of Union Heights.

“Kay loved the classroom and working with others, but her real passion was teaching reading and she did everything she could to pass on to her students her passion for reading,” Patrick said.

“As a librarian she found many ways to get students passionate about reading and many told me that’s all she wanted to do. She felt most at home when she could be in the library with her students.”

Creech was dedicated to helping students, so much that while battling cancer she returned to help students in the school.

“If we asked her why, it would be the children.” Patrick said. “She not only wanted to students to read, but she wanted them to know they were loved.”

“Kay retired when she was first diagnosed with cancer. However, that didn’t stop her from helping students whenever she was able and she came back to work with students in our after school program.”

In closing, Patrick encouraged all educators to strive to be a teacher like Creech.

“Kay Creech is the type of educator we all should strive to be.” Patrick said. “Teaching should be our calling, we should have passion for what we are doing and we should make sure our children will have a successful future.”

Following the ceremony, Creech’s husband Mark Creech removed the covering to unveil the renamed library, The Kay Creech Memorial Library.

A plaque about Creech was also placed outside the library to explain her legacy at the school.