Our school overlooks Utah Lake and we have the sharks as our mascot. With the vinyl lettering we have several sayings and decorations having to do with ships and lighthouses around the school.
Our Principal announced last week that he is retiring. It came as a surprise to us and it saddens us.
Here is part of the letter we sent home.
"With the opening of two new elementary schools in our city next year a number of our teachers will be transferring to the new schools and others will be re-assigned to different grade levels due to the change of enrollment numbers."
Then it lists the teachers leaving with a total of 10 of them. Then it lists teachers leaving for other reasons and there is 6 of them. We have our computer teacher retiring so the grand total leaving is 17.
The letter goes on to say:
"Finally, yesterday our principal announced his retirement effective on July 1, 2011. After 31 years of service to the children in the school district he leaves with wonderful memories that have been created over the years.
As many of you know he has been dealing with liver disease for many years. He is offically on the liver transplant list and begins his work up at the Transplant Center next week. Plans with be reviewed for a pending transplant procedure at some point in the future. Retirement will allow him to focus on his own health and will allow him to enjoy his family.
He will miss the sweet association of his staff, the patrons but most of all he will miss the children. He cherishes the memories created from working with literally tens of thousands of students over his long career as an edcuator."
So on Friday the teachers starting coming down with their classes and they have made goodbye cards for him. As he circles the students around him they show and give him their cards and he gives each of them them a high five and then he hugs their teacher. Each and every time he tears up and so do I!
I will certainly miss him. He is an excellant boss. As I work with him to constantly register new students, he always had time for them one by one showing them around, getting to know them and their parents and with his photographic memory never forgot a name. He would come out and lean against the counter and talk with us about family, church and his life. We got to know him pretty well. As we wonder who will replace him, I know noone can.