Nancy Sherrill, CVS Assistant Principal Neal Sellers to retire

By Lynn Hotaling

The two will be missed, said Superintendent Mack McCary.

"The board just about refused to let them retire - they're that good," he said.

"Nancy is a professional colleague and a friend. I'm going to miss her skill, grace and good humor, and her relationships with people," McCary said. "She is willing to tell the truth and can be caring and confrontational at the same time. I'll miss working with her."

The superintendent was equally complimentary of Sellers.

"I appreciated his willingness to make the shift to Cullowhee Valley near the end of his career," McCary said. "Neal is a caring person who's willing to go the extra mile for kids."

Sherrill, named assistant superintendent in 1997, has been with the local school system for 33 years. She taught for two years in Prince Georges County, Md., and a year at Cherokee Elementary before beginning her Jackson County career in 1969.

A 1961 graduate of Sylva-Webster High and a 1964 graduate of Western Carolina University, Sherrill's first position in Jackson County was as a primary grade teacher at the old Log Cabin School, which combined with Qualla to form Smokey Mountain Elementary in 1980.

Sherrill earned master's degrees in both education and curriculum and supervision during 1976-78 while serving as a Teacher Corps team leader.

After four years (1978-81) in the Central Office as Title I supervisor, Sherrill returned to the classroom to teach Title I reading at SMES.

Sherrill was named director of elementary education and Title I supervisor in 1985, a position she held until becoming assistant superintendent.

School board member and former Assistant Superintendent Mary Jane Dillard worked closely with Sherrill while both were part of the Central Office staff.

"Nancy loved children and wanted them to learn all that was possible for them to learn," Dillard said. "She has an innate ability to motivate both children and teachers, and she will be greatly missed."

Sherrill said her experience with Teacher Corps led her into an administrative career.

"We didn't have assistant principals back then, so sometimes I acted in that role, and I enjoyed it," she said Tuesday.

In summing up her years in education, Sherrill said working with children is its own reward.

"All the rewards come with working with children," she said. " Having the roles I've had has given me the freedom to go in classrooms frequently to offer advice and support to teachers."

Sellers, who has been with Jackson County schools for 31 years, earned a bachelor's from Mars Hill College in 1971 and a master's from WCU in 1980. He began his career as a physical education teacher at Scotts Creek in 1971, taught P.E. for four years (1973-77) at Log Cabin and Qualla and then returned to Scotts Creek. He was named assistant principal at SMES in 1997 and transferred to the same position at CVS in 2001.

Sellers could not be reached for comment because he is with the school's eighth-graders on their annual trip to Raleigh and the Outer Banks.

Sellers will be missed at Cullowhee Valley, Principal Theresa Peters said Wednesday.

"He has a good rapport with students and goes out of his way to help them," Peters said. "He's been a big help in that while he was new to this school, he knew Jackson County and was familiar with bus routes. He's been terrific with trips - like the eighth-grade trip he's on now.

"Neal has just been a real asset. He provides a father image to children who need that," Peters said.

Other retirements announced April 14 included veteran Fairview teachers Anne Bembry and Mary Ann Frye and longtime Cullowhee Valley media coordinator Floyd Bateman.

Board members appointed Roy Douthitt interim principal and former Smoky Mountain High Assistant Principal Libby Knight interim assistant principal at Blue Ridge. The moves are in response to the planned May 1 retirement of Blue Ridge Principal Lib Balcerek.

In other business April 14:

- Board members approved a proposed $31.8 million school system budget for the 2003-04 fiscal year.

Included in that budget is an expected $5,415,080 allocation from Jackson County commissioners, which would represent a $372,470 (better than 7 percent) increase over last year, said school system finance officer David Steinbicker. Commissioners stipulated that $263,000 of the proposed increase must go to improving maintenance at all schools, Steinbicker said.

Also included in the draft budget is $698,350 in local capital outlay funds, which is identical to last year's allocation, Steinbicker said.

Board Chairman James Roper expressed appreciation to county leaders for the anticipated increase in funding.

Back to Archive: 04/24/03.