An enthusiastic Bertis Downs in his one-of-a-kind “LSTN TO TCHRS” tee-shirt at the Communities in Schools awards ceremony Saturday night where he & Katherine Downs were recognized for their tireless and dedicated contributions to public education in Athens.
At the end of his brief remarks, which were about education and opportunity and that it is well worth the time and effort, and the need to support quality teaching and learning for all kids, Bertis peeled off his coat and tie to reveal his own “bumper sticker catch phrase fix” for what ails our public schools— —ª#ââ¬Å½LSTNTOTCHRS—¬ was born. Some attendees caught Bertis’s little riffage on the many slogan shirts Michael wore and peeled off at the 1991 MTV Music Awards—¦ Bill and Mike were in attendance along with members of the R.E.M. HQ team and as it is in Athens, of course many other R.E.M. friends and fans.
