2 generations of EV Cain students learned community service from retiring teacher

Shirley Paris is retiring at the end of this school year, having spent 38 of her 40 years as a teacher at EV Cain Middle School in Auburn. That window in time explains why she teaches, why she chose to stay at EV Cain and her goal for the two generations of students she has instructed. "The reason I'm in teaching is because I love kids and I want to be their guide into what they can do by giving them opportunities," Paris said in a recent interview with the Auburn Journal. "I stayed because EV Cain is a family and I have maintained those relationships. What's important to me is building relationships, and so I loved my EV Cain family. The other thing was I wanted to stay in the community and see these kids grow up." Paris teaches seventh-grade social studies, has been a member of the Auburn Education Foundation for 36 years and serves as its current president. And she's well-known for her leadership role with EV Cain's Service Club, which in the fall semester held three major events – the 20th Cain's Crossing Renaissance Faire in October, decorating the campus for Veterans Day in November and the Hometown Heroes Luncheon on Dec. 2 – and contributed to the Wreaths Across America ceremony before Christmas. The Service Club and other EV Cain students have delivered gifts and medals to veterans, presented Valentine's Day cards and sung to residents, participated in kids with cancer through the UC Davis Pediatric Center, and bagged packages for soldiers overseas and the homeless. They've worked at Auburn festivals and carnivals and at Halloween. "The Service Club is about leadership and service to your community, so we have looked for ways to contribute to the community," Paris says. "The motto I teach them is, 'Be kind, find some way to serve.' " The Renaissance Faire was the idea of Joyce Silva, whose granddaughter was in Paris' class. Held originally as a community event swarming with about 3,000 kids, the faire returned to EV Cain with Harvest Ridge, Weimar Hills and Newcastle schools participating. Paris describes the Renaissance Faire as history coming alive with a full immersion into attire and games of the time with experts of the era. The October faire included a pirate ship and a falconer. "It leaves a lasting impression," Paris says. "When kids come back from college, the two things they remember most poignantly are Veterans Day, handing (vets) a card and seeing them cheer up, and the Renaissance Faire." Honored with the State of the Community Award for Education last fall, Paris' work made a quick and lasting impression on Christine Mabery, who joined EV Cain as principal in July. Mabery pointed to Paris' intangible skills, such as how to solve a problem, interviewing, how to talk to adults and how to shake someone's hand. "She never complains about a problem, and her kids see that. She's like, 'Well, how do we fix it?' " Mabery says. "She just embodies giving and service and selflessness, and she teaches those kids that those are the most important. Nobody does it better. … Her organizational skills are even bigger, and she's also such a team player. … Her heart for kids and teaching them how to do the right thing is phenomenal. "Even when I think about her leaving, my tears well up. She will be greatly missed just with her positive attitude." Paris isn't going far. Upon retirement from teaching, she'll jump into her next adventure as co-location coordinator with Marilyn Schneider for Wreaths Across America Auburn. EV Cain's Service Club signed up to be a sponsor group for WAA last year. Schneider says Paris "jumped in feet first" when she joined WAA, and in addition to student help, Paris "got the parents on board." "Her first task was the mobile education exhibit. She had kids helping and we set up tents for vets, and Shirley was just a whirlwind, the person that has the metabolism of a hummingbird. That's Shirley," Schneider says, adding they've become best friends. "Her energy level is phenomenal. She doesn't tell you she's going to help; she helps. I look forward to working with her. She has ideas on how to get more wreaths to Auburn. I adore her, I really do. … The woman is a saint as far as I'm concerned." Paula Celick, who brought WAA to Auburn in 2015 as its original location coordinator, describes Paris as a "spitfire" who's "exactly the right person" to step up because of her excitement for the WAA project and appreciation for veterans. "She has a lot of energy," Celick says of Paris. "She definitely is organized. She has to be to be able to pull off all that stuff she does with kids. She has to stay one or two steps ahead of those kids at all times. She just has this never-ending energy level to keep up." Paris already is looking forward to the next WAA mobile education exhibit in February, saying, "The kids will be involved."