Editor’s note: This is the sixth and final installment in an ongoing series that seeks to showcase unsung heroes in Cranston’s schools.

***

In my 10 years as an education reporter and as a former educator, and in my 19 years as a parent, I have seen many amazing educators honored with well-deserved pomp and circumstance.Each will be the first to say they share their honors with their colleagues, that they could not do what they do each day without the support of so many. It is my goal during this school year to shed some much-needed light on those employees working behind the scenes in Cranston schools who may not receive the spotlight, but for whom it is also well deserved.Although this is the sixth article in the series, it is the first in which the chosen hero is not a paid employee of the school department but rather a community member who has worked tirelessly to support teachers and students for more than two decades.

At almost 83 years old, Ray Ferns might have the best attendance record in the class of second-graders with whom he works at Edgewood Highland Elementary School.

Ferns, who retired in 1998, has been volunteering in Cranston Public Schools three days a week. According to Edgewood Highland Principal Marlene Gamba, he never misses a day of school.

“He’s an inspiration to everyone here,” she said. “He’s wonderful. He’s loyal and he’s supportive of our students.”

Ferns brushed off the accolades but beamed with pride as he walked through the hallways of the school, directing me into the library. There, he had just finished working with a group of students reading a book from the “Magic Tree House” series.

“If I didn’t enjoy doing this, I wouldn’t be here,” he said. “It keeps me young, and it’s always changing every day.”

On volunteer days, Ferns puts in a full day of school, from 9 o’clock in the morning until almost 2:30 in the afternoon. He works with small groups of students in need of some extra help, focusing on math and reading.

Ferns and his wife have three children, although each graduated from the city’s schools years ago and have children of their own. Before retiring, his professional career included two years serving in Germany with the U.S. Army. After seven years of night school, he received a degree in business administration from the University of Rhode Island in 1972.

“I was a trailer-truck driver for UPS for 38 years and I retired when I was 62,” he said. “I wasn’t going to just hang around. My wife was a school secretary and was also a school volunteer prior to working in the schools, so I decided to volunteer, too. I started at Norwood Avenue in kindergarten and I did two days a week working with Mrs. Connelly. I’d come in at 9 o’clock and we’d just be getting them ready, and by the time recess came it was time to put their coats on for them to go home.”

As the teachers that Ferns worked with moved from one school to another, or retired themselves, he moved around a bit, too. He has been volunteering at Edgewood Highland for quite a while now, working with students in kindergarten, first grade and, now, second grade.

“It took 20 years for me to get to second grade,” he joked.

Ferns shared a newspaper clipping about one of his five brothers, Jack Ferns, who was featured in the article because he was also an avid volunteer. He said he comes from a large family that also included three sisters.

Of the siblings, only Ray and one sister remain. He shared that his mother raised all nine children alone after his father passed away while she was pregnant with his youngest brother. He said his mother’s strength, dedication and perseverance runs in the family.

“Mr. Ferns is so important to our school,” said Jen Cicerone, a reading specialist at Edgewood Highland. “He has changed the lives of so many children and he is such an asset to this building.”

Ferns smiled as he reflected upon the children whose lives he has impacted. He looked through a booklet that was made for him recently, containing messages of love and thanks from some of his recent students.

“Over the years, you may forget the names, but you’ll always remember so many of the kids,” he said. “The population has changed over time, but kids are basically the same as they always were. Most of them are good. Some of them, though, they’ll try your patience.”

Ferns also spoke about his view of education and how classrooms have changed over the years.

“It’s unfortunate, there is so much testing now,” he said. “The math is so much more complex for the kids, all of the things they need to know. The struggling learners need that time. The time you’re taking testing them is time you’re not spending with the kids who have the problems.”

When asked if he’s considering wrapping up his time in elementary school anytime soon, Fern’s answer was immediate.

“I intend to keep on doing it as long as I can,” he said. “I enjoy the teachers, I enjoy the kids. They’re bigger than me and they’re smarter than me though, so I need to stay in second grade.”

His second-grade colleagues are relieved to hear that answer.

“He is absolutely the best person alive, and he has the patience of a saint,” Ana Santos said. “He’s the best math teacher, and he’s so wonderful.”