Everyone has taken a test before and completely flunked it. And you usually get to take a retake. But in Mrs. Lynn Sakuma’s mind, a free retake shouldn’t just be a get out jail free card, rather the second chance should be earned.

Mrs. Sakuma, a teacher here at BMS, is retiring after many years of service. She was a helping hand to many kids and impacted many student’s lives. Though the majority of kids at the school have not met Mrs. Sakuma, she is kindhearted and supportive to all of her students.

Mrs. Sakuma was raised in West Hartford, Connecticut, and always wanted to be a teacher, although she followed other career paths as well. First, she taught at a combined middle and high school in Virginia, but then left teaching for twenty years to work in finance. She was a corporate communication director, which was a base for employees and public relations. She really enjoyed this job, but ultimately decided to go back to teaching in her home state.

At first Mrs. Sakuma was a sixth grade Language Arts teacher at BMS, but then switched to working with students on academic support. During her time here she was also an adviser at Image Magazine.

Her favorite motto is to give second chances to students, but with consequence. “If we offer second chances, they can not be offered freely,” she said. Mrs. Sakuma enjoyed finding the strengths and weaknesses of her students and helping them improve. She specializes in study skills and organization, which are both very important concepts to her.

At the Board of Education in Westport, there has been talk about a new grading system, that would include grades like 1, 2 and 3, instead of A, B and C. These new standards are based on state standards. It tries to get kids to reach the state standard for each grade in each subject. Mrs. Sakuma, when asked what she would change about the school, stated, “[she wanted to] embrace the direction we are going and do it with enthusiasm.” Enthusiasm is a word that completely describes Mrs. Sakuma’s attitude in everything she does.

Mrs. Sakuma is retiring and going to Arizona with her husband, which her lifetime dream. She looks forward to experiencing all of the adventures that Arizona has to offer like the Grand Canyon and the blazing rays of the Arizona sun.