Conquering Fear Factor

Is Ryan Rettke crazy or courageous?

Photo by Chris Haston/NBC

He carried cockroaches in his mouth, drank a mixture of lard and cow parts, and performed other outrageous acts to win the $50,000 grand prize on NBC's Fear Factor, a reality show known for its gross and gruesome antics. The Minnesota teacher credits his feat to one trait, "my mental toughness—my ability not to get shaken or rattled by anything."

Rettke, an eighth-grade Earth science teacher at Centennial Middle School, used visualization and his athleticism to conquer Fear Factor, which aired in November. "The toughest part was probably drinking the mixture. It was like nothing you ever tasted before," he says. Fortunately, he didn't taste the cockroaches. "I just noticed they stuck to my mouth."

Rettke gained his athletic ability and mental strength as a two-time All-American college wrestler. He needed both when he walked across 8-inch planks from a 9-story building even though he has a fear of heights.

Yielding to pressure by friends, Rettke showed up at the Mall of America in Minneapolis last spring after hearing auditions for the show would be there. Although he had more than 1,000 competitors, Rettke was not surprised he was singled out for additional interviews. "When I do something, I expect it to happen," he says. "That's the mentality I have."

After the show aired, students bombarded their teacher with questions. "I didn't get my lessons done for the next couple of days," he says.

So what has Rettke done with his prize money? He's paid off loans and bought a new TV and computer. He's also planning a trip to Jamaica, where adventurous pursuits like parasailing, jet skiing, and cliff diving will seem like tame stuff after those cow parts.

—Deitrich Curry

Lake Savers

As a college freshman in the late 1960s, Terry Vencil rallied with other 'greenies' to advocate for federal environmental protection laws.

Photo by Shawn Street

Today, Vencil brings her rally closer to home as she and hundreds of students fight to save Lake Estonoa in Wise County, Virginia.

Vencil's crusade began five years ago when she and students in her Appalachian ecology and physics class at St. Paul High School set out to save the town's coal-producing wetland from being turned into a parking lot or a softball field.

The lake is vital for keeping pesticides from flowing into the nearby Clinch River, says Vencil. So she and her students, known as Team Estonoa, intervened with a proposal that garnered $140,000 for a new lab and materials to landscape, sanitize, and maintain the lake. They also had the lake designated a federally protected conservation area.

The true "sweat equity" comes from 4th- to 12th-grade students who support the project by planting flowers, pulling weeds, writing new grant proposals, educating the community about the lake, and traveling to neighboring schools and national conventions to make presentations. The students have logged nearly 1,000 hours of volunteer service.

"It gives them a sense of accomplishment and ownership in their hometown," Vencil says. "It will make them environmentally conscious adults and good citizens."

—Tiffany Mitchell

Renaissance Tool Man

Dave Arnold is Mr. Fix-It with a flourish, a tool man with a knack for nuance.

Photos by Carlos Miranda

He's also custodian, mentor, teacher, author, artist, and friend to the students and faculty at Brownstown Elementary School in Illinois.

When he's not keeping the grounds pristine for the kids, Arnold might step into a classroom to share what he knows about electricity or Native American history. Last year, he had a full-size tepee brought in and set up on the school grounds.

"A custodian's job is pretty much the same day after day," Arnold says. "Adding and doing a few things extra keeps the job fresh."

Whether it's wearing a Dr. Seuss hat to promote reading while waging the battle against grime, hunting with a handmade musket while floating in a homemade canoe, or writing his weekly column for OWL.org, NEA's online community for members, Arnold is constantly proving his own mantra, "There's always more you can do."

Although Arnold was named the Illinois Education Association's ESP of the Year in 2003, he says he is most humbled by the students. Last year, a fifth grader won a reading contest and was offered a choice of prizes. He declined them and asked, "Can I just spend a day working with Dave?"

—Chris Kotterman

A Course in Classic Cars

If you ask Pennsylvania member Fran Shore about her dream car, she'll tell you that it's already sitting in her driveway.

"Brandy," as Shore affectionately calls her 1936 Buick Century convertible, is one of the half-dozen antique cars she and her husband, John, have restored over the past 30 years.

"I call her Brandy because she's a beautiful wine-colored car, but she also drinks gasoline like alcohol," explains Shore. Only 717 such cars were made in 1936, and Brandy is one of five remaining today. In addition to the Buick, the Shores have restored a 1929 Model A Ford, a 1922 Durant Touring car, a 1931 Willis Ford roadster, a 1962 Corvette, a 1978 Indy Racecar Corvette, and a 1946 Cushman motor scooter, all of which have been named national winners by the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA).

Since Shore's retirement in 1993, the couple has served as master judges for the AACA, driving their cars across the country to participate and judge as many as 12 shows a year. Shore has also been deeply committed to increasing youth interest in the antique car hobby. She's been the AACA National Youth Chair for seven years.

"As part of an educational program, I was taking a young group of children around the floor to look at the cars and all their parts," describes Shore. "A little boy tugged on my pant leg, looked up at me, and said, 'I really like you.' And that's the message right there—no matter what your hobby is, you're always a teacher."

—Tamara Zakim

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