Lavern (Toni) Laman (right) with Student Jameelah Loving (center)
St. Hugh's High School past student and Woodland Middle School Science teacher, Lavern (Toni) Laman received an award in a program honoring Influential teachers at Westlake High School on April 16, 2008.
Jameelah Loving is a Westlake High School Academic Top 25 Student. Westlake is a Math and Science magnet school in the Atlanta Metro area. She chose Lavern as her most influential teacher. Jameelah will be attending the University of Georgia and plans to pursue a career in medicine. She credits Lavern as instilling in her a love for the discipline of science.
Jameelah wrote the following about her teacher: "when given the task to choose my most influential teacher, I knew immediately who to choose. It was an easy choice because you are one of the few teachers who actually made me enjoy going to class. It was always an experience being in your class because, from your approach to your delivery, everything was always in order for a 7th grader to easily grasp the concepts. You are the reason Biology is my one of my favorite subjects to this day and one of the main reasons I am going into the medical field. Thank you Mrs. Laman. Without your guidance I do not know that I would ever have found my true love for learning and for science and healthcare."
Lavern graduated from St. Hugh's in 1970 and is a former headgirl of the school. She earned a First Class Honors BSc degree in Zoology and Marine Biology from the University of the West indies and later completed her M. Ed and Ed. S degrees in education at Mercer University in Atlanta.
Lavern is currently serving as secretary of the St. Hugh's Alumnae Association's Atlanta chapter. She previously served several terms as co-president of the chapter. She is married to the president of the Atlanta chapter, Glen Laman.
