Marion County School Superintendent Wendy Bracey decided long ago that she wanted to learn all aspects of being an educator, including being a teacher, principal and superintendent. In her 30-year career, she has done just that. After retiring on June 30, she will be learning a new aspect of an already distinguished career when she becomes the head girls’ basketball coach at Woodlawn Preparatory School.
“I’m just excited about the next level of my life,” Bracey said.
Bracey’s career has taken her to teach in two counties and leave her mark wherever she has been. After serving as Marion County Superintendent for five years, she felt like it was time to retire. In her retirement letter presented to the Board of Education, she wrote “Truly God has held my hand while I have enjoyed the most noble profession ever, teaching.”
Bracey began her career teaching third, fourth and sixth grades at East Marion Elementary in 1992. Craig Robbins was the principal who hired her. One year she was the librarian at the school as well. She credits her mentor teachers, Vernell Graham and Jean Sauls, for guiding her.
“Ms. Vernell Graham was the happiest teacher ever,” Bracey said.
Graham taught her if she was happy in her career, it would be the best job ever. Sauls inspired Bracey to be a great reading teacher and taught her that once the love of reading is instilled in a child, it remains forever. Sauls once told Bracey something that always stuck with her.
“You always need to be where your feet are planted, but make sure they are planted in good shoes,” Bracey recalled while laughing.
Eventually, Robbins became the superintendent, Martha Wilks became the principal and Ann Bennett was the assistant principal at East Marion Elementary. Bracey said she learned to find humor in everything from Wilks and Bennett and that organization was the key to success. She said she never met anyone more organized than those two. Robbins taught her that the students always came first.
After six years at East Marion, Bracey crossed the river and taught third grade at West Marion Primary. The principal then was Angie Pradat, who advised Bracey to love the children unconditionally. There was a time when the third grade was moved to the elementary school, and that principal, John McLendon, taught her to learn to pick her battles.
Her time at West produced some of her happiest times because the teachers had high expectations and made sure the students received an education while changing their lives for the better.
Following her time at West, she left the county to become the literacy coach at Prentiss High School. Audie McorMick was her principal and advised his staff to never use the “I” word because they were a team, and a team approach works best in education.
She then moved to Bassfield High School and became the assistant principal under Will Russell, who was the principal. The two actually knew each other from their East Marion days. He showed her to handle situations with professionalism and a calm spirit. They used the American Choice literary program, which increased the school accountability by two levels.
Next she became the principal of Carver Elementary in Jeff Davis County and stayed there for one year.
That’s when the opening for the principal slot at Columbia Elementary School became available. Bracey knew she did not stand a chance to get the job, because she figured the district would probably hire someone from within the district.
“I said, ‘Well, I’ll give it a shot,’” Bracey said.
She interviewed with Marietta James, superintendent of the Columbia School District, along with two teachers. One day she was at Carver Elementary and was told she had a visitor, who turned out to be James who came to offer her the job. Bracey was very excited.
“Those seven and a half years were great,” Bracey said of the time she spent at CES.
James, Shelia Burbridge, Sidney Meer, Loren Monk, Jay Rayborn and Debbie Hood were some of her dearest friends.
James, though, taught Bracey something that she carried close to her heart. James told her to be where the students, teachers and community are. James encouraged her to go to the games and activities. Bracey took that advice to heart when she became superintendent for the county schools. She started her days off at one of the schools every day, greeting the students. Depending on the schedules, she would always try to attend the different events to support everyone, including traveling to the Mississippi Coliseum when East Marion won the basketball championship and going to Gulfport to attend the regional marching band evaluations.
During her time as superintendent, there were many things she has been proud of. When she became superintendent, the school system was a “C” district on accountability. The district is now a “B” district with an “A” school at West Marion Primary. She started a leadership retreat focused on a book, which the educators have enjoyed. Before the pandemic hit, she held convocations for the teachers, which she had fun doing. The district also became a one-to-one district with each student having a computer from federal funding and the Early Learning Collaborative.
Bracey credits Business Manager Melinda Trahan with helping her not have to ask for a tax increase to support the district and having clear financial audits.
She also worked on the many documents to allow the district to receive Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds. The first round of $833,517 has to be spent by 2022. ESSER II funds of $4,374,049 have to be spent by 2023, and she has received word that the district will receive ESSER III funds for $9,823,493 to be used by 2024.
She is very proud of the accomplishments with both East and West Marion schools winning different championships during her tenure.
Bracey’s career was a calling by God. It was not the original career path she chose. She also holds a medical office technology degree. However, education is the one that she was destined for.
“I am going to absolutely miss my students, staff and coworkers. That’s the best part of this job,” Bracey said.
Summing up her time, “In my 30-year career, not one time has God let me down,” she said.
Love has been her focus word her entire career. She said she has truly learned the value and meaning of love from the educators she worked with. She learned that love and life go hand and hand.
Regarding coaching basketball, she played basketball all her life, beginning in fourth grade at Columbia Academy. It was a sport she fell in love with and continued to play all through school. Coaching was something she always wanted to do and has since been allowed to do so.
The advice she offers to the incoming superintendent, Michael Day, is to love the people.
Bracey is adamant about a few things. The first is she has been blessed to work with some of the best educators and wonderful people, hands down. The second, just because she is retiring doesn’t mean she is going away. Come game time, she will be at her alma mater Columbia Academy, Columbia schools or county schools, where she will be rooting her schools on.
“I am blessed because of the people God has placed in my life. I have truly learned from them and credit them with my success. I am walking away full of the goodness of God’s blessing,” Bracey said.
