Wheeler Remembers the 'Mother of the Magnet'

For more than 30 years, Cathie Banks taught science at Wheeler High School, and made it fun. 

She challenged her biochemistry students with a forensics experiment, giving them a week to solve a staged "murder" using the fingerprinting and blood work techniques they learned in class. 

But it was her vision to take science and related subjects to an even higher level that endeared her to many in the Wheeler community and beyond. 

She was a driving force behind the establishment of Wheeler's STEM magnet program (for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), which formally launched in 2000 and has become one of the most acclaimed in the state.

Banks, who was dubbed the "Mother of the Magnet" for her efforts and who retired two years ago, died of congestive heart failure on Nov. 9. 

On Dec. 21, the Wheeler community will pay tribute with a memorial service on campus whose details are still being worked out, said Tiffany Starks, the Wheeler magnet coordinator. 

"She just had this vision," Starks said. "She saw that STEM was a growing need in our country and it would be where more career opportunities would be developing."

Officially called The Center for Advanced Studies, the magnet program now serves more than 400 students, most of them from outside the Wheeler district. 

Banks, who was also the Wheeler science department chairwoman, became the magnet program's first academic adviser, serving in the role until her retirement.

Starks said Banks had encountered some health problems but the news of her passing came as a surprise to Wheeler magnet students. 

"She just carried herself so strongly," Starks said. 

She said Banks had a special touch for making students from outside the Wheeler district and those who were socially introverted feel right at home. 

"She created a comfortable social environment that really helped students come out of their shell," Starks said. 

Magnet students would congregate for meals in the hallways and courtyard, and she arranged parties that included video games and other activities. 

The magnet program got underway in 1999 with 31 students, all them from the Wheeler student body at the time. The graduating class of 2004 had 91 students, with a strong majority from outside the district. 

Currently, the program has 411 students, with 82 percent coming from other school districts. 

Among the Wheeler magnet's most recent accomplishments is STEM certification from the Georgia Department of Education, just one of three in the state to be so designated.

Starks said the Dec. 21 date for the service for Banks was chosen to give former students and others time to make arrangements. 

Here's a link to an RSVP form, and those who knew Banks are invited to share photos or memories that will be shared at the service. 

The photos also can be e-mailed to: picturesofcathie@wheelermagnet.com.