Our school is named Grace Best Elementary School. Grace Best was a teacher in our school district for 24 years. There is no greater honor than to be remembered as an excellent teacher of young children. There is no finer tribute than to name our school after Mrs. Best, a first grade teacher who helped children to begin their journey in education.
Mrs. Grace Conrad Best was born on June 26, 1907 on a farm in Douglas County, just north of Monument. She taught in the Douglas County Schools for several years before she began her teaching career in the Lewis-Palmer Schools in 1948. Mrs. Best taught at Palmer Lake Elementary School until her retirement in 1972.
Mrs. Best was also very involved in the art community. In 1963 she and 11 of her friends formed the Palmer Lake Little Art Group. She was also active in the Palmer Lake Historical Society.
Her days as an author began in 1976, when she wrote the first Jeremiah Mouse tales. Her enchanting stories of Jeremiah's adventures around the Tri-Lakes Community have thrilled young readers for 20 years. Mrs. Best spent her retirement years visiting with children and their teachers as she retold the tales of Jeremiah Mouse. Mrs. Grace Best died on January 8, 1995.
