Canton honors loved and lost staff members

Nearly three dozen members of the Canton Middle School community gathered Tuesday afternoon to honor two individuals they loved and lost.

At a 4 p.m. ceremony at the Streamwood campus, students and members of the school's Parent Teacher Association dedicated benches to former English teacher Barbara Lesht and outgoing Principal James Hawkins.

Lesht, of Schaumburg, died last spring of lung cancer. She taught in Elgin Area School District U-46 for 35 years, the last 15 at Canton.

Hawkins, principal at the school since 2004, was one of 22 district administrators informed by Superintendent Torres in January that they would be removed from their current positions at the end of the school year.

Besides Hawkins, that housecleaning included seven members of the district's central office; Canton's assistant principal; and Larkin High School's principal and a dozen of the school's department heads.

Despite public outcry at several school board meetings this winter, Torres has declined several times to elaborate on the decision to remove Hawkins, saying only that the school was in need of a "culture change."

Only a few years from retirement, Hawkins will teach art next year at Larkin, his alma mater.

District officials announced yesterday that Lorraine Cruz, principal at Ames Middle School in Chicago, will take the helm of Canton next fall.

Students said Lesht instilled a love of books in many.

"I remember she got me into literature," Dylan O'Quinn, who just finished his first year at Streamwood High School's world languages and literature academy.

Lesht's husband, Steve, and her son and daughter-in-law were present at the ceremony.

"Barbara would have been thrilled," Steve Lesht said. "She was very active in the Canton PTA and thought it was a very important part of the school community."

Hawkins' wife, Cindy, said her husband was unable to attend the dedication ceremony because his father was undergoing surgery Tuesday afternoon.

"How much this means," Cindy Hawkins said, "you don't know."

The couple's daughter, Sarah, read a statement on her father's behalf, thanking individuals for letting him "be a small part of this wonderful community" and for recognizing his commitment to the school.

Parent Teacher Association treasurer Kathy Ward said the benches were paid for through fundraisers including Market Day and student dances.

The community was touched by both individuals, she said.