Dedication Ceremony is Held for Jan Simmons' 40 Years at O'Neal
A dedication ceremony was held for Middle School Division Assistant Jan Simmons in celebration of her 40 years of service to O’Neal.
Held in the Gutschmit Family Atrium of the Hannah Center, Head of School John Elmore welcomed those in attendance and gave appreciation for all of the dedicated years of service Jan has given to the School. “Let me dispel a major myth of independent schools – heads of school like me, including division directors, like Dave Williamson, can be academics, leaders and a lot of other things, but it is people like Jan who run the place and give it meaning and life,” states Mr. Elmore. “When I was named Head and when “Mr. Will” became Middle School Director nothing meant more to me than hearing Jan’s approval. Imagine how she makes the children feel?”
Middle School Director Dave Williamson remarked, “ As computers and mobile devices have surfaced with ‘Ask Jeevs’ and then ‘Siri’ and others, the next virtual assistant to join the market needs to be called ‘Jan’. She provides a sense of stability in the Middle School and her absence on any given day renders heightened worrisome voices from students and teachers alike.”
John Elmore followed up with remarks that were sent in from former parents and alumni. A red flowering dogwood tree will be planted later in the fall at the Middle School with a plaque that reads:
Jan Simmons
“The Heart and Soul of the Middle School”
The Red Flowering Dogwood Tree was planted to celebrate Jan Simmons for 40 years of service to The O’Neal School. Jan has provided love, words of wisdom, and kindness to well over 1,200 of our middle school students and our entire O’Neal community.
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