By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
When Patricia McGinnis was named the Bowling Green Female Citizen of the Year in 1987, she was lauded for her countless civic and community involvement.
The list was of accomplishments was expansive. She was a retired Conneaut Elementary School teacher and principal; a former BG City Council member from 1980-84, who was actively involved in plans for the new fire station and renovation of police facility; a frequent volunteer for many causes in the area; and a dedicated member of her church, several boards, and numerous civic organizations.
Now, 38 years later, McGinnis earned another Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce Award Saturday night—the Athena Award. This time, the award was less about the number of civic leadership roles and more about her lasting impact.
The award acknowledges individuals who actively mentor, support and develop women in realizing their full leadership potential and contribute time and energy to improve the quality of life for others in the community.
For more than 60 years, McGinnis “has made an extraordinary and lasting impact on our community through her dedication, compassion and unwavering commitment to uplifting others,” said 2024 Athena Award recipient Stacie Anderson, when announcing McGinnis as this year’s winner.
Nominator Michelle Shinew, who was in fourth grade when she met Principal McGinnis, called her “a guiding light for Conneaut School. She touched so many of us in ways that we still hold dear today.”
Annette Teet, one of McGinnis’s four nominators and a former kindergartner in her Conneaut classroom decades ago, credits McGinnis for laying the foundation for learning and student success, so much so that Teet followed in her footsteps as a kindergarten teacher at Kenwood Elementary School.
“I will always remember her smile, kindness, and love for teaching as she encouraged our class to sing along while she played the piano,” Teet wrote in her nomination letter.
“It was this first encounter in education that planted the seed in my heart for the love of learning” and inspired Teet to become a kindergarten teacher and share some of the same songs she learned in McGinnis’s kindergarten classroom.
Dawn Shinew, dean of the Bowling Green State University College of Education and Human Development and another nominator, said, “Pat McGinnis shaped my understanding of what it means to be a good teacher.”
She recalled an incident when Principal McGinnis “had to reprimand me for striking another child in an after-school altercation.”
Instead of immediately punishing her, McGinnis took the time to ask why she had hit the other child. When Shinew explained that he had said mean things about her sister, the two then talked about the importance of loyalty, loving one’s sister and also controlling one’s anger.
In that moment, “Pat McGinnis shaped my understanding of what it means to be a good teacher,” Shinew said. That educational lesson has stayed with Shinew through her years as a teacher and now as dean of the college that prepares students to become teachers. The Patricia McGinnis ripple effect continues.
“Pat modeled something that I’ve shared with countless future educators and reminded myself on a regular basis that educators need to listen to and understand the children we serve if we hope to help them become better people.”
When McGinnis moved from teacher to principal, “she continued to provide a steady and wide hand to the students in her building, but she also became a mentor and advocate for the teachers—virtually all of whom were women,” Shinew said. “She developed a culture that encouraged teachers to take risks and develop innovative teaching and curriculum.”
McGinnis has touched the lives of thousands of children and families, and at 96 years old, has the uncanny ability to remember the names of many of her students from 50 or more years ago and still offer words of praise and encouragement.
“Bowling Green is the best place in the world and to all of you, thank you for what you’ve done for others,” McGinnis said as she accepted her award, validating the truth that she continues to spread positivity wherever she goes.
“I thought I was coming to see others win, but here I am,” she quipped when asked how she felt about winning the award. “My life has been with children,” starting with helping to care for her younger brothers and continuing throughout her career and beyond. “To be a teacher of kindergartners is wonderful.”
Maria Simon, another nominator and coordinator of youth services at the Wood County District Public Library, worked with McGinnis many years ago on the Wood County District Public Library Family Literacy Advisory Board. There, she was known as an advocate for lifelong learning with a special interest in early literacy.
The 1000 Books Before Kindergarten Challenge was one of her endless number of passion projects. She insisted that all the children who participated as “Royal Readers” sign a Golden Scroll.
Her creative, but slightly humorous, initiative has become a tradition that lives on at the library. “Signing the Golden Scroll is happily anticipated and proudly appreciated by the young children and their families as they reach this accomplishment of reading 1,000 books together before their child starts kindergarten,” Simon said.
Her influence grows and is currently demonstrated through examples of outstanding community leaders who experienced her kindness and leadership as a Conneaut student, or through her other community engagements. “It is good for me to know Pat McGinnis and to know more and more how she has made a difference in others who I admire, respect and want to follow and emulate,” Simon said.
