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Speaker 1: Hello, friends, Welcome to story Behind podcast. This is the

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Speaker 1: show for people who love hearing a good story and

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Speaker 1: who believe the world could use more positivity. We're the

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Speaker 1: team behind God Updates and God to and we hope

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Speaker 1: these weekly short stories will brighten your day.

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Speaker 2: Hello friends and loyal subscribers and newcomers, Welcome to the

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Speaker 2: Story Behind podcast.

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Speaker 3: Behind what you may ask.

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Speaker 2: Well, we think you may be missing some stories in

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Speaker 2: your life about the positive and miraculous things that are

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Speaker 2: still happening all around us in this country, even as

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Speaker 2: our newspeed may be flooded with a whole lot of

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Speaker 2: let's just say, not so positive stuff. This week, we

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Speaker 2: realize that as this episode is airing, we may be

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Speaker 2: getting back to school time for some of you. And

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Speaker 2: with that mond We've got a couple of stories that

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Speaker 2: talk about teachers and other people working in schools, so

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Speaker 2: it's kind of an appropriate time to bless them and

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Speaker 2: think about those who are going back to school, both

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Speaker 2: if I'm the professional fraud the vocational front and all

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Speaker 2: of those students and parents who will be experiencing the

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Speaker 2: school year. We'll be back in a few minutes to

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Speaker 2: start this episode with the story of a teacher who

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Speaker 2: said goodbye after fifty years of teaching. All right, we

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Speaker 2: are back with a story by MICHAELA. Gordonai about a

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Speaker 2: teacher who said goodbye in a way students will never

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Speaker 2: forget after fifty years of teaching. Everyone's favorite teacher at

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Speaker 2: Saint Margaret's School in Narberth, Pennsylvania retired after fifty years,

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Speaker 2: and it was called bittersweet. The school held an entire

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Speaker 2: event just for Miss Lapresty. On surprise, they called it

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Speaker 2: miss La Presti Day in honor of her last day

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Speaker 2: as a full time.

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Speaker 3: Teacher at the school.

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Speaker 2: But they began with a flower crown on a statue

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Speaker 2: of Mary, followed by a mass dedicated to Miss La Presty.

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Speaker 2: Next was a full auditorium full of students who performed

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Speaker 2: original songs, skits, and.

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Speaker 3: Poems from her pre k to eighth grade.

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Speaker 2: Miss La Presty wanted to be a teacher ever since

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Speaker 2: she was the second grade herself, but it wasn't until

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Speaker 2: she graduated from college that she learned how hard it.

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Speaker 3: Was to be.

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Speaker 2: Her first year, she struggled a lot and cried almost

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Speaker 2: every day. She even quit, but then some other teachers

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Speaker 2: helped her as she learned to love it.

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Speaker 3: More than anything.

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Speaker 2: The next year, I loved it and I have loved

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Speaker 2: it ever since, she explained. I never thought i'd make

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Speaker 2: it this far, she said. I love to make learning fun.

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Speaker 2: I'd play games with them.

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Speaker 3: For math.

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Speaker 2: I dress up as a character Missus Pepperoni in with it,

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Speaker 2: Beatza and they play this math game. She got the

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Speaker 2: royal treatment from a former student and firefighter who gave

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Speaker 2: her a goodbye send off in a fire engine as

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Speaker 2: she rolled down the street. Hundreds of kids and staff

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Speaker 2: shouted goodbye as she waved.

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Speaker 3: Through the window. It's like a family here. It's a community.

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Speaker 2: I know everybody, she said, adding I've taught children of children.

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Speaker 3: Now it's just a great place to be.

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Speaker 2: With no children of her own, miss La Presty doesn't

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Speaker 2: want to completely stay away from her homeway from home.

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Speaker 2: She will be back in a part time capacity a

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Speaker 2: couple of days a week. It's wonderful the hundreds or

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Speaker 2: even thousands of children have gotten to learn from miss

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Speaker 2: La Presty.

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Speaker 3: It's people like her that make a positive impact. As

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Speaker 3: it says in Matthew.

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Speaker 2: Ten forty two, and if anyone gives even a cup

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Speaker 2: of cold water to one of these little ones who

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Speaker 2: is my disciple. Truly, I tell you that person will

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Speaker 2: certainly not lose their reward. We'll be back with another

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Speaker 2: story about another school worker with longer tenure than even

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Speaker 2: miss Lepresty. Stay two and welcome back to this episode

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Speaker 2: of the Story Behind. Our team here spends hours every

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Speaker 2: week trying to scour the web and find all the

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Speaker 2: stories that will lighten.

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Speaker 3: Your heart just a little bit in this crazy world.

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Speaker 2: And as they go about that, every story they find

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Speaker 2: has a video component. So if you're ever interested in

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Speaker 2: digging even further behind the Story Behind, you can come

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Speaker 2: to godtune dot com and visit our blog section. You'll

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Speaker 2: notice it right there in the nav on the front

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Speaker 2: of the site, and that will lead you to our

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Speaker 2: god Updates section in which we compile all of these

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Speaker 2: positive stories and in each one we embed the video

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Speaker 2: where we found these stories, whether it's from YouTube or

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Speaker 2: social media. Maybe you're not on those things as much

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Speaker 2: and you still want to be able to find these stories. Well,

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Speaker 2: that's why we do what we.

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Speaker 3: Do here at the Story Behind Us to bring you.

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Speaker 2: These If you ever want a tuddle lot over there,

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Speaker 2: just take a look. But for now, I want to

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Speaker 2: tell you another story that happened at a school.

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Speaker 3: Let me ask you a question.

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Speaker 2: Do you ever notice the people if you work.

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Speaker 3: In an office, plane or a.

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Speaker 2: School, who are dedicated to cleaning up behind you, who

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Speaker 2: do the thankless work behind the scenes. Well, one time

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Speaker 2: I was working with someone who always made it a

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Speaker 2: point to greet the janitor, to get to know them,

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Speaker 2: to talk to them, find out about their lives, give

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Speaker 2: them help if they needed it, and it really was something.

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Speaker 2: I asked them about it one day and they said,

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Speaker 2: you know, this is what I think our calling is

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Speaker 2: is to see the people who might be working behind

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Speaker 2: the scenes, who might be to others at times.

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Speaker 3: So with that in mind, let.

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Speaker 2: Me tell you the story written by Heather Riggleman about

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Speaker 2: the high school who through their ninety year old, well

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Speaker 2: loved janitor a birthday party. A high school through their

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Speaker 2: ninety year old janitor a birthday party, and the students.

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Speaker 3: Think he deserves more than what they could offer.

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Speaker 2: So grab a tissue because this heartwarming story might make

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Speaker 2: you a little misty eyed. There is something special about birthdays.

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Speaker 2: They give us a chance to pause and celebrate another

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Speaker 2: year of memories, another year of laughter, and the people

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Speaker 2: who have made our lives better simply by being in them.

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Speaker 2: The older we get, the more precious those moments come,

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Speaker 2: and that is what made a recent birthday celebration at

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Speaker 2: ten Tasco, a regional high school, so incredibly sweet. When

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Speaker 2: Bobby Collins walked into the school auditorium, he thought it

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Speaker 2: was a special announcement or maybe a pep rally. He

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Speaker 2: couldn't have been more wrong. Instead, he was greeted by

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Speaker 2: the entire school ready to celebrate him. Students and staff

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Speaker 2: surprised him with a birthday party filled with gifts, poems,

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Speaker 2: custom t shirts, hugs, and a tribute video honoring his

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Speaker 2: fifty years of service to the school. When you watch

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Speaker 2: the video, you can't help a grin as Bobby pops

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Speaker 2: off a smile standing in front of so many students

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Speaker 2: and friends who sang a sweet happy birthday. After all,

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Speaker 2: how many people get to celebrate a milestone birthday surrounded

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Speaker 2: by generations of lives they've touched. But the sweetest part

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Speaker 2: is how Bobby shifted the celebration away from himself and

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Speaker 2: thanked his wife for being by his sond all of

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Speaker 2: these years. What surprises everyone the most is that Bobby

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Speaker 2: wasn't always doing what he loved. Before taking care of

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Speaker 2: the school, he served in the Navy, and while students

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Speaker 2: have come and gone, Bobby has remained a steady presence,

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Speaker 2: greeting them with kindness and encouragement. I want you to

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Speaker 2: know that if it wasn't for them this gal here,

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Speaker 2: I don't know where I would be, but I would

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Speaker 2: not be here, Bobby said, of his wife of more

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Speaker 2: than fifty years, That simple moment may have been the

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Speaker 2: sweetest gift of all. Students describe Bobby as a father

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Speaker 2: figure and a grandfather figure. Principal Peter Dufrayin said the

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Speaker 2: school wanted Bobby to know just how much he is

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Speaker 2: loved and appreciated.

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Speaker 3: At a time when.

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Speaker 2: The world often moves too fast, this celebration served as

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Speaker 2: a beautiful reminder that kindness, faithful service, and people matter.

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Speaker 2: As for Bobby, retirement is nowhere on his horizon.

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Speaker 3: To rest is to rust, he said, I love that say.

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Speaker 2: At ninety years old, Bobby is still showing up, still serving,

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Speaker 2: but still making a difference, and, judging by the smiles

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Speaker 2: and tears in that auditorium, this birthday is what he

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Speaker 2: will never forget. As it says in Proverbs sixteen thirty

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Speaker 2: one gray hair is a crown of splendor. It is

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Speaker 2: attained in the way of righteousness. That certainly applied to

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Speaker 2: this story.

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Speaker 3: And we hope.

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Speaker 2: As back to school comes near that your parents get

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Speaker 2: a break and that these stories that took place in

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Speaker 2: schools with people who serve them a long time inspire

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Speaker 2: you to make a difference in your own community.

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Speaker 3: Thanks for listening. We asked that you might want to

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Speaker 3: send this to some.

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Speaker 2: Of your friends, especially those who might work in education,

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Speaker 2: and maybe you are not looking forward to the end

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Speaker 2: of their summer vacation, but this might inspire them and

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Speaker 2: they're back to school. We'll be back in a couple

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Speaker 2: days with another episode of the Story Behind, and until then,

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Speaker 2: we wish you well.

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Speaker 3: Thanks for listening.

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Speaker 1: Thank you so much for listening to Story Behind podcast.

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Speaker 1: We're really glad you joined us for this week's story.

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Speaker 1: To see photos and videos that may have been referenced

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Speaker 1: in this episode, check out the links and the show notes,

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Speaker 1: and if you enjoyed what you heard today, subscribe to

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Speaker 1: our podcast and please tell a friend about us. We'd

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Speaker 1: also love it if you'd rate us and leave us

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Speaker 1: a review. It really does help more people find us.

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Speaker 1: Story Behind is a Salem Web Network production.

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Speaker 4: Hey friends, it's Kelly from Live Audio. We just launched

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Speaker 4: something new. It's called The Good Word, our free weekly

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Speaker 4: just good content. This one means a lot to us.

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Speaker 4: We built The Good Word based on the audience survey

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Speaker 4: so many of you filled out a few months back.

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