Saturday, June 7, 2008

Ramblings III: School's Out !!!

School is out...the 2007-08 school year has officially ended in Henry County...WHEW !!! For almost 50 years, my life has been scheduled around the school calendar. I started school in what I think must have been one of the first public kindergarten programs in the U.S. It was 1959 in the state of New York. After elementary, junior high and high school, I graduated with the Headland High School Class of 1972 and began my college career immediately. My sister was three years behind me...so I went straight through college..summers and all !!! I graduated Auburn in August , 1975 and began my high school teaching career, back at my Alma mater in August, 1976. There I stayed for 30 years...no years off...in the same classroom ( there must be a record in that !) When I retired in 2006, I was offered a part time job for the next school year. I am still a part-timer, hence the exhilarating news..SCHOOL'S OUT !!!
As we ended the year yesterday, it was a bittersweet ending. Our long time principal ( once classroom teacher, basketball coach, and guidance counselor) retired as did my high school history teacher. I looked around and realized the old guard is gone and it is a new day for HHS....I think change is often good ( the two new retirees will realize that quickly ) . I know that the imprint that Coach Williams and Rosalyn Trammell have left on HHS and 30 plus years of her graduates can never be erased. I also know that both of them taught us much more than the academics, they also taught us much about "growing up" and becoming adults.

Left to Right: Cathy Henderson Ray, Susan Brannon Owens, Stephanie Douglas Randolph,Tanya Trammell Smith, Rosalyn Trammell, Steve Williams, Tony Wilkerson, Danny Odom, and Chris Padgett.
The retirees with their former students...all of whom are current members of the Headland High School Faculty.
An impressive legacy !!

3 comments:

Major Allen Espy said...

i concur. Rosalyn and Steve were giants at HHS. I will never forget flubbing the lines to the Gettysburg Address in Rosalyn's class. My mind was on Laura Reid, I bet! Also, I will never forget Coach Williams (as I still like to refer to him), asking me if I heard Craig Purvis say these exact words leading up to a fight I witnessed. Just put it this way... Coach Williams said all the vulgar words Craig had uttered! I was more shocked that those words came out of Steve's mouth than I was the fight episode.

Major Allen Espy said...

by the way, I added you to my favorites...post more interesting tidbits. oh, do you have any photos of Roney's wash hole??? sounds a tad vulgar, but i think it's the name of the creek that's on your property, right?? charles took us out there a few times.

Allen

Major Allen Espy said...

oh, my e-mail address is majorespy@yahoo.com

thanks,

Allen