Monday, Sept. 17, 2007 | 7:13 a.m.
Most days, Palo Verde High School soccer coach Kevin Hagood pauses by the stone benches in the southeast corner of the athletic field, a perfect vantage point for a view of the games or the sprawling city beyond.
That's where French and German teacher Barbara Edwards often stood, cheering on her students.
Edwards died on Sept. 11, 2001, when American Airlines Flight 77 plunged into the Pentagon. She was returning from a vacation with friends.
"Time has flown by so fast, I get the feeling that people are starting to forget or not even know what happened," Hagood said. "All of the students here now have no idea who Barbara Edwards was."
Or, Hagood said, how deeply her death affected the school community. "The remaining staff, we definitely remember," Hagood said. "We are trying to keep her memory alive and show the kids as much as we can what an incredible individual she was."
The memorial at the soccer field was dedicated Sept. 11, 2002. Each year the school holds a remembrance ceremony at the site. A scholarship for foreign language students also has been established in her name. Would Edwards have appreciated the attention?
"Yes and no," Hagood said with a laugh. "She didn't want anybody to make a big deal about her. She was a giver more than a taker."
After being rejected by North Las Vegas last month, the Clark County School District has wasted no time moving on to a more receptive locale.
The Clark County School Board will be asked Thursday to approve building a $70 million magnet high school at Charleston Boulevard and Desert Foothills Drive in Summerlin rather than in North Las Vegas .
The original location had been viewed as ideal. But plans fell apart after Councilwomen Shari Buck and Stephanie Smith indicated they wanted the district to pay for road improvements.
Paul Gerner, associate superintendent of facilities, said there would be too great a risk of costly delays if the project were to remain in North Las Vegas. Given that the district had earmarked the Summerlin site for a career and technical academy of its own, it made more sense to shift gears now, Gerner said.
The school is to open for the 2010-11 school year. The Northwest academy opened in August and two more are on track to open next year.
The academies combine rigorous academics with training in career disciplines including construction trades, nursing and teaching.
Clark County Commissioner Bruce Woodbury is this year's "Education Hero," according to the Public Education Foundation.
Woodbury, Nevada's longest-serving county commissioner, was honored at a banquet Saturday at the Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas.
"There is not a major quality of life issue in Southern Nevada that has not been impacted by Bruce Woodbury," said Sig Rogich, chairman off the foundation's board of directors. "He is an extraordinary man who has been a driving force in this community for many years."
Also honored was Las Vegas City Councilwoman Lois Tarkanian, who received the lifetime achievement award.
Lois and Jerry Tarkanian Middle School opened in 2006. Woodbury is not yet on the list of 100-plus nominees submitted to the district's School Names Committee. C.W. Woodbury Middle School is named for the commissioner's uncle, who was one of the first members of the School Board and served for 20 years as trustee. And of course, thousands of students see the commissioner's name when their buses merge onto the Bruce Woodbury Beltway.
Woodbury said Friday being a school namesake "is probably one of the greatest tributes that a person can receive," but he's not sure his contributions merit the honor.
"I already have more things named after me than I've ever been able to justify," Woodbury said with a laugh.
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