Tonight it is my distinct honor to recognize three retiring staff members.
It has been my pleasure to work alongside these three professionals since 2010 in middle school, and for over a decade prior in elementary school. Each of these people represent so much goodness characteristic to our school, as well as their chosen professions within our school community.
In my role as principal, it is a rare occurrence to work alongside any one staff member for a daily period, and for an extended period of time. However, as rare as this may be, these are three such people. I am forever a better person and a better educator, because of them.
----- Retiree 1
_____ and I first met at the elementary school, when serving the specific needs of our students. Even back then, _____ was known as someone who’d do anything for anyone, but especially for a child. Her trademark humility, sense of humor, and work ethic made her a great teammate. Fast forward two decades, and she has long been someone I have counted on, through thick and through thin. She’s accepted complex assignments and has been a strong and steady member of our counseling team and master scheduling team. Maybe the best example of _____’s professionalism is something I’ve said often: that, if I asked, _____ would run report cards on Christmas morning for our school. She’s someone I’ve come to count on and is truly irreplaceable. I will miss her dearly, and wish her all the very best in her retirement.
----- Retiree 2
_____ and I have also known each other for the better part of 25 years. Two doors down from my office, she is the one staff member who I have difficulty both getting to work before her, and staying at work later than she does. In fact, for a long time I was convinced she lived, first in the elementary school and now, the middle school. She is a master of preparation and process, and is a credit to her profession as a speech and language pathologist. Seeing her work alongside children and adolescents is seeing a true artist at work. The manner in which she sets the students’ minds at ease, so they may focus on continual improvement, is purely remarkable. I will miss her parting words of wisdom to each speech group with which she works: “listen to learn”. Maybe most remarkable is when she was the recipient of the Beacon, a ceremonial teacher-to-teacher recognition we had done before, during and after the school closure. Of all the staff members who’d received it, she was probably the most deserving. And when it came time for her to “pass the beacon” onto the next recipient, she made an appointment to see me. She wanted to ask permission to share it with the whole school. Her reason? There is never one person who deserves recognition for the great things that happen at HBMS, not her, and not anyone. It is the collective contributions of our team that makes our school great for kids. This conversation and beacon ceremony is one I will never forget. You could hear a pin drop, and it was a shared learning moment for us all. _____ is a class act, a consummate professional, and just a wonderful human being who I’ve been privileged to learn from all of these years.
----- Retiree 3
Last, but certainly not least, is _____ . One of the very first people I met as a new teacher in our school, _____ immediately adopted me as one of her mentees. Together, my third grade class and her first grade class became “book buddies” and we became fast friends. Working as co-teachers with a shared special educator, _____ taught me the meaning of preparation and of instilling a value for lifelong learning and a sense of community service, in children. When she and I traveled across the parking lot to the middle school, again, I was able to marvel at what she could accomplish, in her classroom, our school-community garden, and through extended day clubs and community service partnerships. Maybe most endearing has been her steady manner with children and adolescents. She’s calm, warm, and her classrooms are productive and always teeming with student-centered activity and rich learning experiences. Being someone who has demonstrated an ability to adapt no matter the challenge thrown in her path, this has made Joan the person and the teacher she is.
I will miss these three members of our school community, but proudly smile, knowing that our school is a better place and I am a better person, having known these three amazing professionals and people. We wish you joy, health, and happiness in this next phase of life. Thank you for the impact you’ve left on us.
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