EDUCATION VETERAN — This portrait of Edith Starke hangs in the principal's office at Edith I. Starke Elementary School on South Parsons Avenue in DeLand. Starke, a longtime educator, was the first principal of the school and a community leader.
PHOTO COURTESY LIZBET VILLA/STARKE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
" title="EDUCATION VETERAN — This portrait of Edith Starke hangs in the principal's office at Edith I. Starke Elementary School on South Parsons Avenue in DeLand. Starke, a longtime educator, was the first principal of the school and a community leader. PHOTO COURTESY LIZBET VILLA/STARKE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL"/>Stetson University student Delicia Bent will portray educator and civil rights activist Edith Starke during a free presentation at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 13, at the Deltona Regional Library, 2150 Eustace Ave.
Starke began teaching at Euclid High School in 1934 and was a strong advocate for school integration. She was a member of numerous service and educational organizations and worked tirelessly to provide enrichment opportunities for students. One of the first Black principals to head an integrated school, she served as Parson Street Elementary School principal from 1957 to 1964. The school was later renamed Edith I. Starke Elementary School in her honor.
Bent, a theater arts major, became a fan of Starke while researching her life.
“I learned that she loved teaching and helping people learn. And her leadership extended to civic organizations too numerous to list including the Red Cross, United Way, NAACP and League of Women Voters,” Bent said.
The program is sponsored by the Friends of Deltona Library to honor Black History Month. Reservations are not required.
To inquire about volunteering in the library’s book store, call Christy Jefferson at 386-218-4087.
— Volusia County Community Information Specialist Pat Kuehn
