Ушла из жизни 75-летняя учительница Касси Мейджор, награжденная президентским знаком за выдающиеся достижения в науке

Cassandra A. Major BARRE — Cassandra Ann Major, age 75, passed away peacefully at home on the evening of Monday, August 17th, surrounded by family and friends who loved her dearly. Cassie, as she was known to all, loved deeply, generously, and with her whole heart. She was beloved by an extraordinary number of people, and she seemed to know someone everywhere she went—which, for Cassie, was nearly everywhere. A lifelong adventurer with an irrepressible traveling spirit, she journeyed around the globe and gathered friends in every corner of it. She was endlessly curious about people, places, nature, science, and the world itself. It is nearly impossible to put into words what Cassie meant to her family and friends. To know Cassie was to know what it felt like to be cherished. Although she was dearly loved by many, she possessed the remarkable gift of making each person in her life feel that they were uniquely important to her—that they were seen, special, remembered, and loved beyond measure. And they were. The community of people who loved Cassie was vast, built over a lifetime of friendship, service, teaching, traveling, learning, laughing, and showing up for others. No one who truly knew her could remain untouched by her selflessness, her gentle soul, her enormous heart, and her fierce devotion to the people she loved. She maintained friendships across decades and across oceans. She made room for people. She stayed connected. She cared. These may sound like small things, but in Cassie’s hands, they became the substance of a remarkable life. Cassie was a lifelong Girl Scout and remembered with great fondness her years at Girl Scout camp, first as a camper, a counselor, and ultimately the Director for three years at her beloved Camp Koch. Cassie embodied the words of the familiar camp song, “Make new friends, but keep the old.” More than 50 years later, she remained close to the Girl Scout friends she lovingly called her “Antique Buddies.” Her involvement with Girl Scouts also included a program that gave young girls the opportunity to have meaningful visits with their incarcerated mothers—one of the many ways Cassie quietly helped create connection where it was desperately needed. Cassie was born December 24, 1950, and raised in Evansville, Indiana. After college, she taught in Georgetown, IL for five years, before moving to New Hampshire, where she taught at Nature’s Classroom. It was work perfectly suited to her, bringing together her love of nature, her gift for teaching, and her seemingly limitless scientific curiosity. She later taught at Northfield Elementary School before finding her longtime professional home at Barre Town Middle and Elementary School, where she spent 20 years teaching science to sixth graders. Teaching was never simply a job for Cassie. She delighted in opening the world to young people. One of the highlights of each year was taking her students on a field trip to Montreal, Canada. Cassie treasured the opportunity to give her students an experience beyond the walls of their classroom—to let them see somewhere new, ask questions, discover things, and understand that the world was much larger than the small part of it they already knew. Cassie was an educator in the truest sense of the word. She was passionate about science education because she believed deeply that people should understand the science of the world around them. She wanted her students not merely to memorize facts, but to be curious—to notice, question, investigate, and think. Her excellence as an educator was recognized throughout her career. In 1997, Cassie was awarded the National Science Foundation Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Teaching, an honor that took her to Washington, D.C., where she received her award from First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. In 2005 she won the Vermont Institutes Equity and Excellence for All Students Award. In 2006 she became a National Board Certified Teacher, which is the highest and most respected professional credential in K-12 American education, proving deep subject-matter knowledge and exceptional classroom practice. She also served on the Vermont Standards Board for Professional Educators from 2008-2011. Retirement did very little to slow Cassie down. Her curiosity, sense of service, and love of people simply found new places to flourish. She became involved with Reading to End Racism and remained engaged in organizations devoted to learning and education. She was a member of Delta Kappa Gamma and, in 2016, was recognized as their Woman of Distinction. For many years, Cassie also served as an usher at the Barre Opera House and spent summers as a tour guide at the Vermont State House. She loved both roles because they brought her into contact with people—and Cassie loved people. She was especially delighted when a school group arrived at the State House and she once again had the chance to do what came so naturally to her: teach children something new, awaken their curiosity, and make them feel welcome. Cassie lived a life of extraordinary reach. She crossed borders and oceans, stood in classrooms and campgrounds, walked the halls of the Vermont State House, welcomed people into theaters, championed science, served her community, and maintained friendships that endured for more than half a century. But the truest measure of her life cannot be found in the number of countries she visited, the honors she received, or even the many students she taught. It can be found in people. It is in the former student who still remembers what she taught them. It is in the friend who knew she would always answer. It is in the Girl Scout who remained her friend for 50 years. It is in the children whose worlds became a little larger because Cassie showed them something they had never seen before. It is in the countless people, near and far, who knew without question that Cassie cared about them. There are people who move through the world leaving it largely as they found it. Cassie was not one of them. She left people kinder, more curious, more connected, and more certain that they mattered. The world is a darker place without Cassie in it. For those who loved her, there is now an absence that cannot truly be filled. But Cassie spent a lifetime giving her light away—to her family, her friends, her students, her community, and to strangers who so often became friends. That light remains in all of them. And there are so many of them. Cassie was predeceased by her parents, Ken and Edna, and a sister, Barbara Major in 1963. She is survived by her sister, Jennifer (Pete) Fischer of Islesboro, Maine, and many friends and family. Her light survives in all of them. Cassie’s Celebration of Life will be held on October 10, 2026, at 1:00 pm, at Millstone Hill in Websterville, VT. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to: Girl Scouts of Southwestern Indiana/Camp Koch, 5000 E Virginia St, Suite There will also be a Celebration of Life in Indiana on September 26, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. at Turoni's on Main Street.