Her skills in drama and story telling have made Linda Poff an inspiration to the fifth grade students and her fellow teachers at Straley Elementary School in Mercer County. When she isn't transforming her classroom into a Civil War battlefield, where a simple yardstick becomes a soldier's rifle, she is involved in extracurricular activities such as sponsoring the Young Astronauts Program, the social studies fair, geography bee, or Straley Student Council. Ms. Poff serves as a mentor to college aids and aspiring teachers. She once set up her class in the lobby of a local bank to show the community an elementary classroom in action. In 1986 she was Mercer County's Teacher of the Year.
