This segment is sponsored by Canva & presented by CBS News Brand Studio.
Beloved high school chemistry teacher Frances Shaw retired from Northside High School in Lafayette, Louisiana, in 2012. But last year, because of a teacher shortage, the 80-year-old returned to work.
“I figured who’s gonna hire an 80-year-old? Sure enough, I was honored. I said, ‘I’m going back full force,'” Shaw said.
Photo by Leslie Westbrook/The Acadiana Advocate
Born on the Bayou, the daughter of sharecroppers, Shaw became one of the first Black educators hired in 1972 to help integrate the previously majority-white Northside High School.
To students, Shaw isn’t just an educator – she’s an institution.
“I’m kind of the igniter. If I can stimulate them into following their dreams, then my investment has been fulfilled,” Shaw said.
Students had endless stories about Shaw and how she’s made a lasting impression.
One student named Mya recalled telling Shaw that she didn’t have gas to head to her polling location to vote in an election, so Shaw gave her a $5 bill so she could put enough gas in her tank to fulfill her civic duty.
Another student, A’zeviel, commented on how Shaw’s 52 years of teaching spanned generations.
“She taught all our coaches. She taught my mom. She taught my family, and everybody was just like, she is such a great teacher,” A’zeviel said.
Paying it forward
Photo by Leslie Westbrook/The Acadiana Advocate
To celebrate Shaw’s unrelenting dedication to her students, CBS News contributor David Begnaud and “CBS Mornings” – with a little help from current and former students of Northside High School – staged a pep rally, where she would receive life-changing gifts.
Students cheered as Shaw entered the room. Shaw exclaimed, “Oh, you got me!”
“Oh, wonderful. Wonderful. I love you guys. I love you all,” Shaw told the students.
At the rally, former Louisiana State Sen. Gerald Boudreaux and Dr. Kim Hunter Reed, Louisiana’s commissioner of higher education, presented Shaw – who they dubbed a “Louisiana treasure” – with a certificate. Then Lafayette Mayor-President Monique Blanco Boulet announced that November 14, 2024, would be designated Frances Shaw Day. Shaw dabbed tears from her eyes as everyone applauded.
But the surprises didn’t stop there.
Photo by Leslie Westbrook/The Acadiana Advocate
Canva, an online digital design platform, heard Shaw’s story and gave her $25,000 as a gift. Shaw’s jaw dropped as she accepted the large check. The company was also inspired to create The Frances Davis Shaw Community Impact Fund, which Shaw can use to distribute in her community to help other people in the amount of $75,000.
The Love Our Schools Foundation, which wants to invest in schools in Lafayette Paris, also presented Northside High School with $100,000. The announcement prompted a joyful dance from Shaw as she pointed to the students who were high-fiving each other.
“Thank you is not enough. You know, Vikings, we play together and we pray together, and sometimes you think your prayers are not answered ’cause you pray really hard for certain things and they don’t seem to happen. But as I’ve always told you in this own time, in this own way, prayers get answered. And this over many years of praying, has been our answer. It’s beautiful. It’s sweet,” Shaw said.
Together, Shaw, the students, staff and guests celebrated by doing the Cupid Shuffle. It turns out, the singer-songwriter behind the Cupid Shuffle, Bryson Bernard, who goes by the stage name Cupid, went to Northside High School and is one of Shaw’s former students.
Jennifer Earl
contributed to this report.
