Remembering a Teacher’s Lessons

More than 100 people gathered at Thurston Middle School on Sunday to mourn the loss and celebrate the life of a teacher who died March 7 after a traffic accident.

Before the memorial service to honor Claudia Flint began, loved ones laughed and cried as they gathered in front of a bulletin board filled with photographs from her 53 years of life.

There were pictures of her as a young ballet dancer, family portraits of vacations with her husband, Ken, and children, Nicole and Alisa, and a photograph from when she crossed the finish line of the 1996 Honolulu Marathon, arms raised in triumph, broadly smiling in exultation.

Surrounded by purple and white balloons and the scent of flowers, mourners crowded into Thurston Middle School’s amphitheater to pay final tribute.

Claudia Flint, Flint’s sister-in-law who shares the same name, remembered the teacher as the toughest lady she ever met, and for her tenacity and dedication to everything she did.

“You could taste it in her homemade bread, or see it in the way she sewed a skirt. Her talent, her ability was boundless,” Flint said. “Claudia was a loving person who listened, who consoled, and who taught, taught and taught.”

Kaitlin Kuhen, 12, who had Flint as her home economics teacher a year ago, remembered the instructor as a person who would always bring cheer into the classroom.

“She was always happy,” Kuhen said. “I don’t know if she ever had a bad day. She was a real inspiring person.”

School staff members spoke of Flint as a unifying force who remembered birthdays, always thoughtfully sending little notes or gifts.

Principal Ron Lamotte said Flint will be sorely missed for her active role in all school matters.

“She was one of those people who were always involved with everything, in the background,” Lamotte said. “She had the ability to connect with her students, which made her classroom the heartbeat of the school.”

After Lamotte announced the planting of a tree in front of Flint’s classroom in memory of the teacher, people began floating to the room that had been plastered inside and out with pink cards, flowers and a pair of running shoes.

Former colleagues joked about the way she brought in her “health food” as well as chocolate-chip cookie dough frozen yogurt.

Current and former students remembered her classroom because it was always open to them during lunch or after school.

Flint died from massive head injuries after being hit by a car while crossing a crosswalk shortly before 4 p.m. March 6 at Glenneyre Street near Forest Avenue.

Marsha Aronoff, president of the Thurston Parent Teachers Assn. and a parent of a former student described Flint as an open, loving person.

“Her smile lit up a room,” Aronoff said. “I remember the night before the accident, my daughter and I saw her while we were picking up dinner. My daughter called out to her, she flashed her huge smile, and my daughter ran up to her and gave her a hug.”

Aronoff said the Thurston PTA has established the Claudia Flint Memorial Fund, which will be used to “encourage a Thurston student who has overcome adversity in his/her pursuit of higher education.”

Donations can be made out to Thurston PTA/Flint Memorial Fund, and sent to Thurston Middle School, 2100 Park Ave., Laguna Beach, CA 92651.