Olympia High School has had many great teachers over the years. Among them was Carlye LaBell, an inspirational English teacher who worked at the school in the 1960s and 1970s.
LaBell Graduated From Olympia High School
Carlye April Vieth was born to Charles Vieth (1893-1915) and Jennie Cooper Vieth (1890-1981) on April 3, 1915, in Teresita, Missouri. Her father died two months later.
Mother and daughter lived in Sac, Iowa, before moving to Huron, South Dakota, where Jennie worked as a legal secretary and court reporter. She was also a writer and musician, publishing poems, stories and songs in national magazines.
Relocating to Olympia, Jennie worked as an executive secretary in the Washington State Parks department. Carlye graduated from Olympia High School in 1933. She earned a bachelor degree in psychology from the University of Washington, becoming a member of Psi Chi, a national psychology honorary society. She worked in child welfare in Tacoma.
In 1941 Carlye married fellow Class of 1933 graduate Joseph Joy LaBell (1914-2004). The couple moved near Olympia. Joy worked as a meter reader for Puget Sound Power and Light. They bought wooded property near Mud Bay along Perry Creek overlooking a waterfall. Joy, later assisted by son Jan, hand-built a series of homes on the property. For the first few years, the couple lived in a cabin without running water or electricity.
Carlye LaBell took great pride in her children Jan, Jenijoy and Jinx (Brown). A stay-at-home mom during their early years, she was active with the Olympia Preschool Association and as secretary of the Griffin Elementary School PTA. LaBell’s kids graduated from Olympia High School.
She was also a member of the Active Club with her husband and was vice president of the American Association of University Women (AAUW).
LaBell was featured in the December 28, 1952 Daily Olympian’s “Chosen Good Cook” section, sharing her recipes for barbecued spareribs, pork chops and potatoes, sugared Emperor grapes, soft custard, and chocolate almond mousse. Her mother, daughters and husband were contest-winning cooks, too.
In 1953 Carlye and Joy helped organize the Class of 1933’s 20th reunion. A buffet dinner and dance was held at the Olympia Country and Golf Club. A family picnic at Millersylvania State Park followed the next day.
LaBell First Taught at Jefferson Middle School
LaBell substituted as a social studies teacher at Olympia High School for the 1956-1957 school year, taking over the position after the teacher died. She taught ninth grade English at Jefferson Junior High School from 1957 to 1960. LaBell proved an innovative teacher. She began an honor course in 1958. Students who tested in could opt for periods of independent study in the library with weekly meetings to present projects to the group.
She also believed that education did not end in the classroom. For example, LaBell took her English class on a field trip to city hall in April 1958 where they witnessed history in the making as the city commission approved purchasing the last of the right of way for the Plum Street access to I-5.
LaBell was vice president of the Jefferson Junior High School PTA.
Teaching English at Olympia High School
LaBell became an English teacher at Olympia High School in 1960. During this time the English department began a new English program. Combining composition and literature courses at all levels, they hoped that giving students a stronger foundation in English would help them in all classes, including non-academic.
Students also tested into levels of English (one through six) instead of sticking to their grade level. Teachers taught semester-long “mini-courses” on topics ranging from classics to modern fantasy.
LaBell enjoyed her subject and it showed. Her students voted her Teacher of the Year in 1972. They hosted a surprise party at her home. Students presented her with a cake and letters praising her both as teacher and friend. “We will always remember you,” one letter quoted in a March 5 Daily Olympian article read, “as being shy but happy, concerned, spirited, interested and inspirational! And to all students.”
In 1972 LaBell took a class to Evergreen State College where noted mountain climber and faculty member Willi Unsoeld led students in repelling down its landmark library clocktower. His daughter Terres was then in LaBell’s class. The teacher even took a turn herself!
LaBell also served as faculty advisor for Future Teachers of America, helping students explore careers in education.
LaBell’s Educational Legacy Went Beyond Olympia High School
After nearly 20 years at Olympia High School, LaBell retired in 1977. Her son Jan LaBell began teaching special education at Olympia High School in 1969. He later taught at New Market Skills Center and Avanti High School before retirement.
Jenijoy LaBell became an English professor at Caltech. She made national headlines in 1977 when she won a landmark sex discrimination case against the school after she had been denied tenure despite outstanding qualifications. After a distinguished career, she retired from Caltech in 2007. She passed away in 2025, five years after her brother Jan.
Carlye LaBell died on August 17, 2001 in Olympia. But her influence lives on in the lives of the many students that she taught. Her courses in creative writing, advanced poetry, Shakespeare, and literary tragedy were my Dad’s – Drew Crooks – favorite classes in high school. An author and historian, he considers her the best teacher he ever had. Her imaginative and enthusiastic teaching inspired him and other students to make writing a key part of their lives.
