Dearest Friends,
Today is the end of one of the best chapters in my life; it is also the beginning of a new chapter that will continue to include relationships with you all. I feel so blessed to have been a part of the life of our special school. I don’t know that I ever wanted anything as much as I wanted to be named principal of Paine Intermediate way back in 2002. I vividly remember the phone call informing me that I was going to be the principal of this beautiful new school in my own community. I remember taking my daddy and my mama, who was quite ill, to see the school. They were just as proud as I was. They said they were not surprised that I had gotten this beautiful school. But I was.
I remember moving in the building that July of 2003. Boxes upon boxes. Truckload after truckload. Leigh was expecting Caroline that summer, and she came and helped me move into my office. Precious Sandra came and spent one whole day helping me get my files organized. Every single thing was new. New children, new teachers, new furniture, new procedures. Yep. Every. Single. Procedure. New and untried. Remember the car line traffic in the early days? The first day, we didn’t get all the students into the building until about 9:00 A.M. I was a basket case, and Betsy cried that first morning. Afternoon carline ended about 4:00! But after a year or so, we finally got it right.
We have shared so many experiences and memories over the past ten years. Some have been heartbreaking; some stressful; some hilarious. One thing we never had a shortage of was laughter. We will never forget the snakes in the building, the night we stayed ALL night because of snow, and the sliding hill that was fixed with $1,000,000 worth of rocks. I wonder how many babies we have had. Weddings? Divorces? Hires? Cupcakes? Doughnuts? I wonder how many chicken fingers we’ve eaten in the lunchroom. How many times have we met in the library? How many times have I said, “Let’s get on third square,”? Who came up with “Third Square,” anyway?
The most precious memories from my tenure at Paine Intermediate are the relationships and friendships that I have been privileged to be a part of. We are a genuine family. Every person in our building is and will always be special to me. All of you at PI right now and those who passed through our school and moved on have left an indelible impression on my life. I am a better person for having worked with you all, and with special people like Rose Ritchey, Phyllis Faust, Ammie Akin, Ruth Ann Clay, Gloria Stuckey, April Chamberlain, Margaret Parker, Franchelle Scozzaro, Tessa Barbazon, Chandler Guice, and so many others.
Reflecting is a good thing, but I am looking ahead to the future. Ours and theirs. Our children. Davis, Caroline, Molly, Jake, Jack, Josh, Thomas, Reese, Tyler, Blake, and the thousands of others we have and will touch. They are in great hands. Yours. Your loving, kind, caring, intelligent hands. I know that you will continue to work to teach them all. You have the most important jobs in the world. The children, this country, and the future of democracy depend on you. I am confident that Paine Intermediate and the new schools will be the stellar schools we expect in our community, and that together you will help all of our students become the people they were created to be.
I will be back to visit, help, celebrate, meddle, advise, and check out the condition of the tile floors on a regular basis. Just promise me a few things. Always have the students say the pledge to the flag and teach them to sing patriotic songs. Love them and act like you like them even when they irritate you. Keep reading out loud to them every day. Keep learning yourselves. Treat each other with kindness and respect. Pray for each other and for me as I assume my new role.
Thank you for the lovely memories.
Beth
P.S. Water the flowers on the front porch and in the garden.
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