Former student surprises 3rd grade teacher 40 years later


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PROVO — Cindy Davis had only one birthday wish this year — to thank her beloved third grade teacher for rescuing her at a difficult time in her life.

"She really came at a pivotal time for me," Davis explained. "I was pretty alone and isolated. I feel like she really saved me in so many ways."

Nearly 40 years after she sat in Margarat Foote's classroom at Granite Elementary School in Salt Lake City, Davis got the chance.

Davis remembered she shares the same birthday week as her beloved teacher and decided to surprise her with a special cake designed by Pete Tidwell, owner of The Mighty Baker in Provo.

Each layer of the cake represented the influence Miss Foote had on her students.

The third grade was full of difficult transitions for Davis. Her mother had recently remarried and the family moved to a new neighborhood and school. Davis said she had few friends besides Miss Foote.

"She was the reason I wanted to get up in the morning and go to school every day," Davis said.

Foote was also the reason Davis herself became a teacher, then a principal and now trains future teachers at Utah Valley University.

Margaret Foote's third-grade class at Granite Elementary School in 1978. Cindy Davis is pictured on the middle row, fourth from the left. (Photo: Granite Elementary)
Margaret Foote's third-grade class at Granite Elementary School in 1978. Cindy Davis is pictured on the middle row, fourth from the left. (Photo: Granite Elementary)

"One thing we can always do is try to be a bright spot for everyone we interact with. That's what I experienced in Miss Foote's class and that's what I wanted to try to create with my own students," Davis said.

To see how the surprise unfolded watch the video.

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