It is pretty difficult for Margaret S. Edwards to stay away from education, training, teachers and staff development.

After 32 years as a teacher and administrator, the Middletown resident retired in 1996, but then became executive director of the Ohio Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD).

Recently, Edwards was elected to the association's 15-member international board, a governing body designed to better support the association, said Christy Guilfoyle, spokeswoman for ASCD.

Edwards said there are 1,000 ASCD members in Ohio.

"We work with teachers and administrators to help staff development," Edwards said. "It is quite a thrill being elected to the international board. I look forward to working with educators all over the world."

ASCD was founded in 1943. It is one of the largest non-profit professional development organizations for educators in the world. It has 160,000 members in 135 countries.

The group provides education information services and offers professional development for effective teaching and learning.

Edwards is married to Cecil Edwards and they have two grown sons. She received her bachelor's degree in teacher education, a master's degree, and a doctorate in curriculum administration from Miami University (Oxford).

Garden tour

Art by nature and art by artists will be features of the Neighborhood Gardens Tour, 6-8 p.m., Tuesday.

The tour is sponsored by the Civic Garden Center of Greater Cincinnati, 2715 Reading Road in Avondale, where the tour will begin.

Three gardens will be visited: Pendleton Children's Garden on 13th Street; the Race Street Children's Garden, Over-the-Rhine; and the Plant-A-Promise Garden on Ezzard Charles Drive, West End.

The Garden Center's community development coordinator, Dave White, has engaged several local artists and musicians to play a part in the festivities at all three gardens.

Allen Howard's "Some Good News'' column runs Sunday-Friday. If you have suggestions about outstanding achievements, or people who are uplifting to the Tristate, let him know at 768-8362, at ahoward@enquirer.com or by fax at 768-8340.