Dobbins High School honors teacher accidentally killed in Fairmount Park

Tears at Murrell Dobbins High School's graduation Tuesday were overshadowed by a poster-size photo of beloved math teacher Mary Katherine Ladany, who smiled down on her students from the stage.

In part, the ceremony honored Ladany, 23, a first-year teacher who was killed in Fairmount Park in August when a heavy tree limb fell on her while she was jogging.

At the beginning of the ceremony, principal Charles M. Whiting asked for a moment of silence in her memory. Her parents, John and Mary Patricia Ladany, were there to present the first Mary K. Ladany Excellence in Math Award.

The $4,000 award went to Jha'Keara Porter, who will use the money to study at Bloomsburg University. She will get $1,000 a year. She was chosen for her overall academic performance, outstanding attendance, and service to the school and community.

"Learning in a class where a teacher actually took the time out to teach has made me a better student and person," Porter said in her essay.

The award came from contributions to the Dobbins Alumni Association, totaling more than $12,000, John Ladany said.

"My wife and I are irrevocably bound to Dobbins High School," he said of his daughter's memorial. "We're personally committed to seeing it continue into the foreseeable future."

Valedictorian Matthew Heartsfield said Mary Ladany was his favorite teacher.

"I got to give it up for her," he said, pausing for a moment to compose himself.

The popular math teacher was never given a task "that she did not tackle to the fullest, and she's deeply missed at Dobbins," the principal said.

Several graduates wore a Ladany memorial pin on their gowns.

"I loved your daughter. Thank you," two Dobbins graduates said to Ladany's mother, embracing her after the ceremony.