“Pass the Lasagna please.”

What’s better than having dinner with family and getting to have conversation around the table?

Every year English instructor Karen Palmer does something few teachers do, host a dinner for her Quality Time seniors. She invites them over to her house and breaks bread, treating them like family.

This coming dinner will be the final one. After dedicating 20 years of her time to instructing and educating Millard West students, Palmer will be retiring from full-time teaching.  

Palmer pushed students to challenge themselves and try new things and that’s why former students like Taylor Shipley loved having Palmer as a teacher and also gave her the nickname “Palmdog”.

“She’s the reason why I got involved in journalism and became apart of the Pawprint my senior year, which was an amazing experience,” Shipley said. “She put a smile on everyone’s faces when things got rough or people were tired.”

Palmer had been a National Honor Society sponsor for almost 10 years, and was a major fundraiser for the now defunct Mr. Millard West, a former male talent competition held at West.

Mr. Millard West, in particular, held fond memories for Palmer and the event drew a full house every year until some students pushed it little too far.  

Another event Palmer was dedicated to, was the student Europe trips she organized. It allowed her time outside the class with students and she described it as a wonderful experience.

“It brings to fruition all that parents and teachers have taught at home and in school,” Palmer said. “It is so exciting to observe them discover themselves and other cultures, and watch them ‘connect the dots’ between lessons and real life.”

It is not just students who love to be around Palmer. She has made many friends and has the respect of plenty of people in the teaching department.

“The lovely thing about Karen Palmer is that she is always pleasant, always in a good mood, and always nice to be around,” history teacher Alexander Fields said.

Palmer has been a mentor for one teacher in particular. She took English teacher, Lisa Lukecart, under her wing through some tough times at the start of her career. Lukecart has seen Palmer more than most in the building and understands why she is so successful.

“One thing I think that makes Ms. Palmer so special is she truly cares for her students more than anybody I’ve ever met,” Lukecart said. “She’s got the biggest heart I’ve ever seen.”

Palmer has said she learned it really does “take a village” to be able to reach students and be an exceptional teacher, but that village will have to soldier on without her now that she’s leaving.

“I know I could not have ‘reached’ many of my students without the expert assistance of the guidance staff, the very capable administrative personnel in the office, Jamie the nurse, and of course Rafael, with his crew, who maintain the building,” Palmer said. “It is working with all these people that I will miss the most.”

She will now have more time to spend gardening, being a grandmother, and of course, playing bridge. Palmer’s legacy of caring and mentoring students and teachers will last long after she’s left Millard West’s hallways. She’s a shining example of how one person can touch and change people’s lives for the better and she will be greatly missed.  

“She’s a G.O.A.T,” Lukecart said.

Don’t worry though, she said she will try to make sure and be back as a substitute teacher, hopefully once a week.