No wonder why it was so hard to say good bye to Andrea Chick, a beloved teacher at Happy Hollow School for more than twenty years. Andrea ended her courageous battle with cancer on May 3, 2005, on the same day as National Teacher Appreciation Day.

She will never be forgotten. That’s what happens when a gifted teacher leaves this world. Their lessons and legacy live on - abundant, fruitful and forever lasting.

There was something special about Andrea. Always dressed stylishly in her signature purple, she enthusiastically greeted each day and the hundreds of Happy Hollow children that awaited her devotion. Her magnetic charisma charmed many. Even strangers roaming the halls found their way to Andrea’s room.

Maybe it was her contagious chuckle echoing from the corner corridor or the cozy purple “living room” that was her classroom, decorated with Victorian-laced lampshades, funky artwork from past students, or posters that preached acceptance, togetherness and respect. Whatever it was, it was pure, inviting, Andrea.

Whether she was reading “The Bailey School Kids” with purple glow-in-the-dark fingernails, discovering science through her green thumb, or creating math problems from miscellaneous props, everything was a teaching moment for Andrea. In addition to teaching her students the fundamentals of reading, writing and arithmetic, she taught them to see their world as never before. She wanted them all to taste the day and celebrate their achievement, to acknowledge each other respectfully and to find the world beyond the classroom.

Great teachers shape our world and change our lives. For decades, hundreds of children in Wayland, Massachusettes found one of their best-ever teachers in Andrea.

In the midst of her long and agonizing battle toward recovery, she often said, “How lucky I am to be a teacher.” How lucky we all were that Andrea was a teacher and so much more--a mentor, friend, colleague, daughter, sister, wife, mother and grandmother.

There are amazing people. There are amazing teachers. Andrea was both and so much more. In her memory, the Make The Dash Count Foundation established the Andrea Fund as a tribute to her invincible spirit and her life's work as an educator. This fund is stewarded by the MetroWest Community Youth Board of the foundation.