Ms. Lorraine Matuzak was my 7th grade Critical Issues teacher. We got off to a rough start. Hence, her reference to “many behavioral problems.” But once I realized she was a no-nonsense teacher and actually a pretty good one, we got along just fine.
This was the one and only time a teacher sent a commendation report to my parents. We got report cards at the end of each trimester and mid-term reports 6 weeks later. These were “special” letters that were sent out to the parents of students showing exceptional progress. I believe they were a new thing at Valley Middle School, introduced for the 1976-77 school year.
Our principal, Mr. Richard L. Barnes, was also a no-nonsense guy. Fortunately, I didn’t have any run-ins with him!