Peggy Revell
As school closes down for the Christmas break this Friday, Robert Moore principal Penny Newman also will be saying her good-byes as she retires.
It was “just time” to retire, noted Newman, who will be retiring alongside her husband, Jim, who is a teacher at Robert Moore.
“We have a granddaughter who we want to spend more time with, and she doesn’t live here,” Newman explained.
While Newman has been involved with the building committee for the new Robert Moore School, she said she also felt it was a good opportunity for the new principal to come in and see it through.
Newman first started teaching in 1976 at the McIrvine School. From there she moved to different schools around the district, including Sturgeon Creek, Alexander MacKenzie, and Huffman.
“I had a sister who was a teacher and I loved children,” Newman said on what first inspired her to become a teacher. “And really, even to this point in time, for me it really is about the kids. That’s the main reason I chose the job that I did, and that will be the hardest thing to leave.
“Many of the students I taught in Grade 1 are now teachers, which is fairly interesting,” she added. “Actually, there are some who are teaching in our system, which is kind of fun.”
Newman switched to administration eight years ago.
“I was at a point in my teaching career where I was ready for a change,” she explained. “I really was strongly involved in curriculum at that point in time, and on a lot of committees for promoting student achievement, and so it seemed like the logical time to move into the position.”
With her children being older, Newman said she also felt she could give the time to that she felt would be needed.
“So the timing was right. It was great,” she enthused.
Newman first began as vice-principal between Huffman and Sixth Street School, became acting principal at Donald Young School in Emo, and then all in the same year was principal at Alberton, Sixth Street, and J.W. Walker/MacKenzie. She came to Robert Moore six years ago.
With Newman’s retirement, Crossroads principal Dianne Thompson will take over the reins at Robert Moore. Crossroads vice-principal Donna Kowalski will serve as acting principal at the Devlin school.
Newman already has some plans in place on how to spend her retirement.
“We’re going to look forward to travelling, and spending time with family that we don’t see as much because they live away,” she noted. “I have a lot of my family who don’t live here.”
Being principal came with some long hours, something Newman said she didn’t mind, but retirement will give her the opportunity to get involved and do some volunteer work.
“And we live at the lake, so it will be great to enjoy the things here at the lake that I find I don’t have as much time for,” she added.
Although Newman admitted retirement can be a difficult transition, she hopes to still be involved in some way with education.
She said her favourite memories are of the children, such as the first day of school when they are excited to be there for a new year.
“The fun of the job is the children,” she stressed. “They make me laugh every day. Every day we laugh.
“I always say we’re blessed to work with kids,” she added, noting it “keeps us young.”
“I will miss the relationships with people and the children,” Newman continued. “And the opportunity to have made a difference.
“I say to our staff, we hold the future in our hands. I think it’s the greatest profession on the Earth.”
Another thing she’ll miss is having the chance to work with wonderful people and other dedicated professionals in the school.
“It’s been a wonderful opportunity to work with them all,” she remarked. “I’ve enjoyed working with the community, as well, school council, and really enjoyed working with the other school principals and colleagues.
“It’s been a great opportunity to work for our board, and to work with the people that I’ve worked with. I can’t say enough about every person,” she enthused.
“Robert Moore school has truly been a wonderful place to be, and I marvel every day at the amount of extra things that the teachers in this building do,” she concluded. “It’s a great school and it will be hard to leave!”
