Gwen Morris retiring after 42 years with GCSC

A group of students files past Deer Meadow Principal Gwen Morris in the school library, each one taking a moment to hug the retiring principal on the way. Morris speaks of how much she will miss the students and based on their actions, the feeling is mutual.

Ask retiring Deer Meadow Primary School Principal Gwen Morris what she will miss most after she calls it quits this year, and she will give an obvious answer.

The 43-year educator smiles and says, "The kids will definitely be the thing I will miss the most."

What is more telling, though, is to see Morris interact with the kids at the Greencastle elementary school.

Following a gathering of the second-grade classes earlier this week, Julia Carr's class was the last to depart the school library. After about half of the class had walked past the principal, one girl stopped briefly to give Morris a hug.

From there, the goodwill spread, as every child for the remainder of the class stopped to give their retiring principal a hug.

Sure, Morris is going to miss the kids, but the kids are also going to miss Mrs. Morris.

"I love my job," Morris said. "I love being with the kids. They are the driving force of what I do every day. The staff are wonderful practitioners. The parents -- the PTOs -- have been awesome."

In her 42 years with Greencastle Schools, Morris has spent time in Title I, part-time art, first grade, second grade, fourth grade and staff development.

Longtime Jones Elementary Principal Alan Small served as principal of the newly built Deer Meadow for one year before handing the reins over to Morris in 2002.

Since then, she's overseen the formation and expansion of a preschool and a highly successful reading program, while showing infinite patience with the school's roof, which has leaked basically since the school's completion.

In appreciation of her leadership and commitment to education, the school will host a reception in the Deer Meadow PTO Room from 3:30-5 p.m. on Thursday, May 9.

The event will give the staff, students and community a chance to let Morris know what her service to the community has meant the last 42 years.

She will, of course, find a way to continue to be involved with the school. Morris plans to continue to work with the Title I program for Superintendent Dawn Puckett. She also has plans to volunteer to listen to kids read if needed, along with other activities.

Taking a few moments with the kids she loves and will miss, Morris surrounds herself with her last group of second-graders in the school library recently. Morris will retire at year's end, having spent 42 of her 43 years in education with Greencastle Community Schools.

With two grandchildren in the school corporation, Morris also hopes to volunteer in their classrooms.

"I just think it's time to start spending time with my family," she said.

That family includes husband Thom and daughter Cathryn Ensley, along with her husband Jim and their two children.

If the affection she gets from those two grandchildren is anything like what she inspires in a classroom of second-graders, then Morris should have a fulfilling retirement.