Easter egg hunt held by firefighters in honor of the deceased teacher

Pittsylvania County, Virginia – In observance of Easter, a lot of individuals in our hometowns are holding egg hunts. In Pittsylvania County, an elementary school filled its baskets in remembrance of a beloved teacher who unexpectedly passed away.

On Saturday, children from Twin Springs Elementary School filled the baseball field and looked for brightly colored eggs. A PE teacher who died away was remembered at this special fundraiser, which was organized by Mount Hermon Fire and Rescue.

Matt Scarce passed away suddenly on February 21, but his influence wasn’t limited to the school gym.

“He was not only a PE teacher; he was a mentor,” said Stephanie Moore, a parent at the school. “He was a friend who was a colleague. He meant more to these kids than I guess anybody ever realized.”

Moore wished to preserve her pleasant recollections of Scarce as she had observed him interacting with her kids.

“My kids could be having the worst day ever going to school… And Matt would approach them,” she recalled. “And my kids would turn around and smile. At that exact moment, I knew I could go to work. My kids were good, and they were gonna have a good day, which in turn made me have a good day.”

Along with the EMS Lieutenant from Mount Hermon Fire and Rescue, Moore was the main organizer of the Easter Egg Hunt that took place on Saturday.

Even though it was heartbreaking to lose a teacher, every small child had unique things to say about their favorite physical education teacher. Several students spoke to WDBJ7 about how kind and humorous he was, and how they used to play games and work out in his lessons. Victoria Stephens, one of the students, had Scarce teach her PE since first grade. Even though she is currently in the fifth grade, she has fond memories of Scarce from the past.

“He drove a motorcycle into the school one day for Dolphinmania and he won the Wrestlemania for our school,” recounted Stephens. “He did a lot of funny stuff. He wore a beard for school pictures.” Stephens added she misses Scarce.

There was never a lack of things to tell, from his legendary escapades to his sense of humor.

“I didn’t know him personally, but from hearing the stories today from the kids, he was a good man,” said Kavell Fitzgerald, a firefighter at Mount Hermon. “He will be missed.”

The money raised on Saturday will be used to support middle school baseball in Pittsylvania County, which was Scarce’s favorite sport.

“I actually spoke with his dad,” said Moore. “He came to the fire department [on Friday]. And he wanted to thank us personally for doing this event in memory of his son. And that how much Matt loves baseball and how he is smiling down that these kids are getting proper uniforms, bats, balls, all the equipment needed for them to get on that field, as Matt did, and play baseball.”