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More than 200 years of service to children and youth were celebrated at the Benton School District’s first retiree recognition awards banquet Thursday night.  Benton School District employees retiring this year after more than 200 combined years of service include, from left, in the front row, Teresa Phillips, Donna Cornett, April Counts and Jerry Rollins; back row, Tom Tate, Carol James, Glenda Stueart and Kay Marshall. The retirees were honored at a banquet at the high school cafeteria. (Photo special to the Courier by Regina Prothro)
Attending the event at the Benton High School cafeteria were the eight district employees who are retiring this year, along with their guests and other district employees.
Dr. Tony Prothro, the district’s superintendent, conceived the idea of an event to honor the retirees’ service to the district and acted as the retirees’ waiter for the evening.
Both Prothro and Andy Bloxom, president of the Benton School Board, expressed the community’s appreciation to the retirees for their work with the young people of Benton.
Each retiree was introduced by his or her principal. The principal then spoke briefly about events in the career of each retiree.
First to speak was Cindy Hogue, principal at Angie Grant Elementary, who focused on Kay Marshall, the longtime school secretary and district employee for 32 years.
Hogue noted that Marshall joined the staff of Grant Elementary as an office aide in charge of all machinery — copiers, laminators and other equipment. Hogue told how Marshall repaired a broken laminator that had been broken accidentally by a teacher.
It was “a surgical procedure conducted in the strictest secrecy to prevent embarrassment to the teacher,” Hogue noted.
Later, Marshall became the school’s librarian.
Donna Cornett, a kindergarten teacher at Howard Perrin Elementary, was introduced by Gina Holstead, her principal. Holstead told of several humorous incidents in the two years that Cornett has been at Howard Perrin.
Before joining the faculty of Howard Perrin, Cornett wasaffiliated with other school districts in Arkansas and other states. She has 27 years’ total teaching experience.
Cornett, who finds computers a challenge, received a computer mouse from Holstead, who told her this was “the last mouse that she has to confront.”
Cornett and her husband, Leon, have bought a recreational vehicle and plan to travel.
Sue Shults, principal of Benton Middle School, introduced Carol James, the school’s media specialist
Shults noted that James was born the same day that the famous “War of the Worlds” telecast took place and said James has encountered multiple fascinating events in her lifetime. She initially worked at Westside Junior High and then later at the middle school when it first opened.
James already has planned trips to Alaska and New York, Shults said. James is pianist of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Benton.
John Dedmon, principal of Benton Senior High School, introduced four retiring teachers from his school.
The retirees included April Counts, the advanced placement English teacher and sponsor of the school’s National Honor Society chapter. Dedman noted that she has “prepared her students well for not only the AP tests but also for college.”
Through her teaching of literature, students have often found a love of reading, Dedman said.
Teresa Phillips, who has taught at Benton High School for 34 years, is chairperson of the Math Department and teaches the algebra/pre-calculus classes.
Her husband, Circuit Judge Grisham Phillips, presented her a pen-and-ink drawing of Benton High School drawn by local artist Dianne Roberts.
Glenda Stueart, who has been employed by the Benton district for 29 years and before that taught math at the University of Central Arkansas, is retiring after teaching for a combined total of 34 years. She is a former Benton Teacher of the Year.
Stueart and her husband, Sam, are expecting their first grandchild in May so travel to their daughter’s home in South Carolina is in their plans.
Sgt. Jerry Rollins, an ROTC instructor at Benton High School, will be retiring after 20 years of service at the school.
Before coming to Benton, Rollins’ military career included service in Korea, Vietnam, Germany and Belgium (NATO Headquarters), and he was an instructor at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where the honor cadets were assigned to him.
Rollins plans to remain in Benton.
Tom Tate, an instructional aide at the Benton Alternative Learning Center, will retire after 12 years with the district. Dedman noted that it would likely take three people to replace Tate.
Tate is know around the district for his “readiness to do anything for students,” Dedman said. A dedicated Razorback fan, he plans to move to Northwest Arkansas to be near family and the Hogs.
Also retiring this year is Barbara Coffman, a Benton High School cafeteria employee, who did not attend the banquet.
School district officials said the banquet was a success in “recognizing outstanding individuals and thanking them for their years of service to the young people of Benton.”
Each retiree received an appreciation plaque and a large fern as a token of gratitude from the district.
Lynda Hollenbeck of the Courier contributed to this report.
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