BARRY’S BAY – In the age of smart boards and other technological teaching devices, it is rare to meet someone who still prefers the overhead projector. Paul Thompson, science and math teacher at Madawaska Valley District High School (MVDHS) for 30 years, is about to retire. Thompson was born in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, where his father was a teacher at St. Xavier University. He was the middle of five children, having an older brother, an older sister and two young sisters. When he was seven years old, Thompson moved to upstate New York to live in a college town where his father taught. The state university system was expanding quickly and his mother, who has American roots wanted to return to the US at some point. He grew up in NY State and went to the US school system. The college had 8,000 students and the town’s population was 5,000. It was very strange to start with, Thompson said. Some people were local, but he was young enough when he moved here to feel that he was from there. During his father’s sabbatical, Thompson spent a year in Edinburgh, in a Scottish high school. It was terrific, a working class comprehensive. Pick up a copy of the June 27 paper to read the full story.