As Ellie Rich walked out the doors of West Marion High School for the last time recently, the doors closed on a career in education that has spanned nearly five decades.
“I’ve retired four times and this one is it,” she said recently. “It’s time for me to go and spend time with my family and do some traveling.”
Rich began her career in Marion County, teaching in Improve and ended it in Marion County at West Marion. In between, she’s held numerous roles as an educator and consultant.
“I spent four and half years at West Marion and my first teaching experience was at Improve and I thought it ironic that I ended in Marion County,” she said. “I have dealt with students of all ages. Even when I was training teachers, I dealt with preschool all the way through high school. I also taught classes for William Carey. I’ve dealt with the whole gamut of people.”
In her 48-year career, however, one job stands out.
“I think, honestly, one of my best experiences has been my job at West Marion High School,” she said. “Those kids meant so much to me. I guess I’m a Trojan. When I went there, I didn’t know anyone there from Adam’s housecat. I didn’t know anybody. I went over and there was a lot to do, but I give credit with everything I’ve done to the good Lord first because I never went a day that I didn’t pray before I got to school. I prayed that I’d make the best decisions for the students at the school.”
Rich said at West Marion, though, she also had help from everyone, which made her job enjoyable.
“I had great teachers, great students, and great help from the Central Office,” she said. “It hasn’t been what I did; I won’t give myself credit for that. It was everyone working together and that’s why the school succeeded.”
While at West Marion High School, good things began to happen for Rich and the school.
“Test scores went up, discipline got better,” she said. “It just went well. My first half of a year, I was assistant principal to Rusty Rutland and then became high school principal. With the work I had done with the University of Memphis and the work I’d done with JBHM (Education Group) with principals in the Monroe, La., area, it all helped me with what I put in place at West Marion.”
Prior to taking the job at WMHS, Rich had trained principals when she was with JBHM Education Group.
“I was a consultant and I trained principals how to go into classrooms and evaluate teachers,” she said. “I taught them what to look for and what to see. I did that for four years. Before that, for two years I was at Bassfield High School. I’ve been retired four different times. The first one was after 34 years at Sumrall Elementary, I was the principal. When I retired, I went right with the University of Memphis and traveled all over the country. I had schools in Meridian, schools in Kentucky, St. Louis and more. I traveled so much on a plane that I was flying first class. This was training teachers.”
After she finished her stint at Bassfield High School as a literacy coach, Rich had the fight of her life.
“I thought, I’m done,” she said. “I went with my granddaughter and daughter to Italy in 2005, and they performed with handbells. When I was over there, I contracted meningitis or Avian Flu or possibly SARS. When I got back, I started the school year at Bassfield and I started having terrific headaches. I went to the hospital and they said I was doing fine, but then I went into respiratory arrest and cardiac arrest. The CDC, to make a definitive diagnosis, they would have needed to take spinal fluid and I was too weak to do it. I had a less than 20 percent chance to live. I was in intensive care for like a week and the hospital for weeks. I got out of the hospital two days before (Hurricane) Katrina hit. I went to my daughter’s house; she’s a nurse. I wondered how I was going to do without my breathing machine and my granddaughter (Skylar Rodgers) started on me. She told me I was going to get out of that walker. She started working with my legs. I would look up the stairs and I could only put my foot up on one step. I thought I’d never do it.”
By November, Rich was strong enough to make Thanksgiving dinner.
“She (granddaughter) didn’t have any mercy,” Rich said. “Now, she’s in medical school.”
Family has been important for Rich throughout her career. She and her husband, Henry, have been married 48 years. She has two daughters, Pam Rodgers (Kim) of Hattiesburg and Jo Lynn Hatten (Greg) of Panama City, Fla.
After spending four years with JBMH, she received a call from Marion County Superintendent Craig Robbins.
“I went over to the school and thought, ‘I don’t know about this,’” she said. “I feel that is what the good Lord had in mind for me, being as sick as I was. You would never know how sick I was. I don’t limp, my lungs have no scarring. It’s a miracle. I’m always in motion. To be an effective principal, you have to have consistency and be visible. You have to be where the students are and you’ve got to back your teachers, but you’ve got to be in the hallways, where the students are. By being there, you have a relationship with the students. When I was leaving, I had hugs and tears. I shed some tears, too, because my heart was there. West Marion was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. I didn’t take it as it was a job; it was such an opportunity to me.”
Travel and fun are now on the agenda for Rich.
“I have a big trip planned,” she said. “My granddaughter is on a medical mission trip, but at the end of July, Henry, her husband, Lee, and I will go with her to the Dominican Republic for a week. One thing that I enjoy doing so much is parasailing. I love it. I plan to do parasailing and something I’ve never done, but I intend to, is zip lining. I’m an adventurer … a daredevil. At home, I do a lot of gardening. I weed and water a lot. I’ve also read three novels. I’ll be reading a whole lot.”
Rich said she will enjoy spending time with her husband and that he has been by her side throughout her career.
“Let me tell you one thing about Henry,” she said. “Every morning he has my coffee ready and my breakfast and he had my lunch fixed for school. All I had to do was get around and get out the door. If I had to be somewhere, he went with me. He supported me all the way. Without that support, I couldn’t have done what I did. I attribute any success to him, too. Without him, I couldn’t have done what I did.”
Though Rich is retired, the offers keep coming in.
“I’ve been offered three jobs and consultant work,” she concluded. “But this is it. My time now for the rest of my time on this earth is going to be with church, family and friends … all of the important things.”
Pictured Above: Ellie Rich addresses West Marion’s Class of 2017 at graduation this year; her final year at the school. | Photo by Mark Rogers
