15 years working with Vaiva in a.p.p.l.e.

[This is the English translation of the item from Draugas.]

I visited Lithuania for the first time in July, 1992 as part of the A.P.P.L.E. Summer Seminar. That was my first of fifteen summer seminars working with a group of dedicated and talented teachers, most of whom came from the United States but who had strong ties to Lithuania. The group’s leader in the early years was Vaiva Vebra. What a woman! As a male college professor with no roots in Lithuania, I was impressed by the group spirit and dedication to Lithuania, its teachers, and its children. But it was clear from the beginning that Vaiva channeled that spirit and directed the group’s energy for it’s most productive and practical results.

Vaiva was clearly the visionary for A.P.P.L.E. and its educational outreach. She tirelessly recruited teachers from the U. S. and Canada as seminar instructors. She also worked with the Lithuanian Ministry of Education to ensure that the Lithuanian teachers knew about the A.P.P.L.E. courses and were encouraged to attend the seminars. Over the years, Vaiva moved on to other challenges and duties within the Lithuanian Ministry of Education. But she always nurtured A.P.P.L.E.’s efforts to provide relevant, practical and current courses for Lithuania’s educators.

A.P.P.L.E. will miss Vaiva’s vision, her enthusiasm and her constant drive to contribute to the intellectual growth and development of her beloved Lithuania. But those of us who worked with her over the years will cherish happy memories of her inspired leadership and her tireless efforts to bring Lithuanian and American educators together to help Lithuanian children prepare for future challenges and opportunities.

K. Phillip Taylor
A.P.P.L.E. Past President