After 38 years in education, the Superintendent of Parkers Chapel School District is retiring. The impact that he has had on our school district cannot be described in words, but the example he has set is one that many of us follow. At his retirement reception today, many of us learned things that he has done that we never knew about, and joked about the many things we did know about. I wanted to share some things about him, so everyone can see what a true dedicated educator and administrator is made of....
For you to completely understand Mr. Gross, it is important for you to know that he is close to seven foot tall. Yes, you read that right, he is very tall and to the small children in elementary, this seems like a giant. However, this giant was one of the most caring, loving, and compassionate men I have ever known. Instead of scaring the children, he became their hero and their safety net. Some stories wrote by elementary students were very touching, and just proved how much he loved children…here are a few of the things told by those children…
“I am so thankful for Mr. Gross because at our grandparents day lunch, he came and ate with me because my grandparents couldn’t make it”
“I am so thankful for Mr. Gross because he is always standing on the sidewalk to greet us when we get to school, and he is at the buses to tell us bye at the end of the day”
“I am so thankful for Mr. Gross because he could always get our ball off of the roof if we accidently threw it up there during recess”
It touched my heart to hear the loving and caring stories that those children told about him, and the same relationship he held with those children lasted throughout their lives. I am an example of this!
Mr. Gross always wears dress clothes, but he also always worked with his hands. He had his own backhoe that was always at the school, and it wasn’t a surprise to see him, tie and all, digging a hole with the backhoe, or stepping in two foot of mud to fix the sewer. That was just his work ethic…there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do. Some funny stories were told about him climbing light poles in his dress clothes using his pole climbing equipment to change light bulbs at our ballparks. He was said to be the toughest guy in the world…the story was told of him nailing his hand with a nail gun while building the press box and simply pulling it out and kept on working…WOW!
Not only was he always working to improve our school, Mr. Gross always expected nothing but the best from everyone. His expectations were always extreme, but his faculty and students always seemed to meet them because he believed they could. Mr. Gross is one of the reasons that Parkers Chapel is one of the top schools in the state, although he won’t take the credit for it. In the El Dorado News Times, Mr. Gross stated “The key is to have top notch teachers in the classroom. We have several classes that have the best scores in the state for math, literacy and/or science, and most of the Parkers Chapel students rank 90 percent proficient or above”
It will never be the same when you walk down the halls at Parkers Chapel, but the example Mr. Gross has set for his former students, parents, staff and community will forever be exemplified throughout the school and throughout most of our lives. I am so proud to have had such a wonderful Superintendent and an amazing example to follow as I start my teaching career.
