SHS Teacher Recognized for Helping Needy Student

Summerville High teacher Karen Parker surprised her formerly wayward student at the Angels in Adoption Gala in Washington, D.C., earlier this month.

RJ Sloke attended Summerville High six years ago. At the time, Sloke had been in more than 12 different foster care facilities and had even been homeless.

"I helped him along with many others from SHS to get on the right path," Parker wrote in an email. 

This summer, Sloke was an intern this summer for the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute in Washington, D.C.  

"His story is remarkable. He defeated all odds. His speech told of how one person can make a difference in a person life. I was that person," Parker wrote. 

The Washington Post reported on Parker's surprise appearance at the gala:

(Sloke) explained how a former teacher, Karen Parker, who surprised him onstage, made all the difference in his life: “Every foster child, no matter how lost they may seem to be, has the potential to do great things. . . It only takes one person to help bring about that change.” Not a dry eye in the house.