Thursday evening, the Vicksburg Warren School District honored 36 employees who will be retiring at the end of the school year.

They worked as teachers, administrators, counselors, bus drivers, maintenance workers, food service workers and more. Between them, the 36 employees have more then 1,000 years of experience molding, teaching and developing the youth of this community.

As VWSD Board of Trustees president Bryan Pratt said at the ceremony, “It takes a village to raise our children. It takes everyone in our school district whether it is a bus driver, a food service worker, teacher or administrator. You all have done a great job.”

The impact that these 36 employees have had on the Warren County community over the years cannot be measured. They have dedicated their lives to the youth of this community, and now they will have the chance to enjoy retirement.

The impact they have had will not go away though. The teachers they have mentored will continue to make an impact. The students they have touched will continue to use the lessons they learned.

Those who work in education are some of the most important and under-appreciated members of our community.

We see the teachers, who spend all day working with children, but we forget about the hours they put in after school.

We at times forget about and overlook the bus drivers, food service workers and maintenance workers that work behind the scenes, but are no less important.

Superintendent Chad Shealy ended his remarks Thursday with a quote from Stephen Covey to “live your life in crescendo.” To let each day and phase to be better than the one before.

Good luck in retirement. Thank you for the years you have dedicated to the youth of this community.

You will be missed and your years of experience will be impossible to replace.