Retiring Elaine Sullivan and assistant Jane Lee Padgett have had gifted lives, returning to lead their alma mater.
By LOGAN NEILL
Published May 31, 2003
BROOKSVILLE - On her last full day of school, Elaine Sullivan sat behind the desk she has occupied at Hernando High School for the past 17 years.
She was dressed in a favorite purple outfit with gold accents that proclaimed her staunch allegiance to her school's colors. On a corner of her wooden desk sat a large stack of congratulatory cards and farewell wishes that have streamed in from seemingly everywhere the past couple of weeks.
Though her tenure as Hernando High principal was quickly fading, Sullivan was decidedly upbeat.
"I've decided that instead of retiring, I'm just going to say I'm graduating," she said with a laugh.
Today Sullivan will join Jane Lee Padgett, who is retiring after 11 years as an assistant principal at the school, for one last official act: graduation for Hernando High's Class of 2003.
Interestingly, both women walked similar paths after their own graduations from the school. Both returned to their hometown as educators. And, in time, both found their professional niche at their alma mater.
"Whenever you can view your profession as a privilege rather than a job, you know you are blessed," said Sullivan. "I'm leaving knowing that I've fulfilled a dream. I've had the pleasure of working with some of the most dedicated people on the face of the earth, and I'll always be thankful I had that opportunity."
Sullivan - class of 1963 - began her teaching career shortly after graduation from the University of South Florida in 1967 as a social studies teacher at Crystal River Middle School in Citrus County. Three years later, she landed a position teaching social studies at Hernando High and later became a member of the guidance staff.
Along the way, Sullivan returned to the classroom as a graduate student at USF, where she received her master's and doctorate degrees in education administration. However, it was her seven years as principal at Westside Elementary School in Spring Hill that provided Sullivan with a philosophy she would take with her in 1986 as the new principal at Hernando High.
"I've long believed that kids want to be pushed to always do better," said Sullivan, who was named the top principal in the United States in 1997 by the National Association of Secondary School Principals. "When I got here, that was exactly what I wanted to make happen."
Sullivan said one of her proudest achievements came in 1999 when Hernando High received that state's New Millennium High School award for its progressive curriculum aimed at readying students for specific career paths. The school is considered one of the highest achieving vocational-based institutions in the state.
Padgett - Class of 1955 - came on board as an assistant principal in 1992. The role was a fairly familiar one. She too had taught social studies, and was on the administrative staff at Spring Hill Elementary for several years. But it was her experience as a guidance counselor that would serve her well in dealing with troubled high school students.
Admittedly, she said, the toughest times came in the wake of tragedy.
"When we lost someone from our school, it really tested you," said Padgett. "Your job tells you you have to be strong, to remind their classmates that life goes on. That's when you find out how wonderful kids truly are. To them, it's okay to see you cry."
Padgett and Sullivan were at the school's helm in January 1996 when football coach Mike Imhoff and math teacher Mike Bristol were shot and killed by a troubled middle school dropout as they drove north of Brooksville.
What the two women brought to Hernando High went far beyond their duties as educators. To parents and teachers alike, they brought a certain spirit and personal commitment to the school that many found endearing.
"I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that this was their hometown school," said Barbara Manuel, a former chorus teacher at Hernando High whose children attended the school. "Every time you saw Elaine and Jane Lee in the hallway, kids would light up. They always had the best interest of the students in mind."
Both women chose five years ago to enter the state's early retirement program and were required to leave at the end of the 2002-03 school year.
Padgett, who turns 66 today, plans a leisurely retirement, with plenty of time blocked out on her calendar for travel with her husband, Richard. She says that she wouldn't mind returning to education "if the right situation were to become available."
Sullivan, 58, believes she isn't quite ready to call it quits and, for now at least, is looking to continue her career as a consultant with the International School Connection, an institute that advises communities on school-related issues.
"Teaching quickly becomes a calling in your life," Sullivan said. "That's why most teachers will tell you that that deep sense of satisfaction you get from helping to build a child's future is like no other in the world."
