Dr. Quimby Melton, III

Quimby and I go back to the days when I was the Griffin High School principal. He was my assistant principal for instruction. I remember:

• Late evenings when he and I worked with the old AS400 computer to get students' schedules prepared. We were walking around the building at 10 o'clock at night trying to make it work.
   
• Quimby's helping us design the Allan Vigil car giveaway to ensure a deserving student would win.
   
• Quimby's willingness to do whatever it took to help Griffin High School be the very best it could be. Those were challenging times when No Child Left Behind first began.

My focus was from the military motto: Mission First, People Always. I was able to focus on the mission of increasing the graduation rate, but it was Quimby and Kay Moore who helped me stay focused on the idea that People Always is what made the mission successful.

 

I was happy that Quimby became the principal of Griffin High School. He continued to develop his unique talent of building relationships with employees as well as students. A caring man, Quimby was able to take the idea of Mission First, People Always to the level of People Always, Mission First.

 

Having completing his assignment at Griffin High, Quimby moved on to start the A. Z. Kelsey Academy project, where Griffin-Spalding could give the most at-risk students one last chance. Because the program had no defined boundaries, Quimby designed the model. He recruited the staff, shaped the curriculum, and built the school from the ground up.

 

Our initial idea was that AZKA would be a 6th - 12th grade school which would be open from 9 in the morning until 9 at night. While the school's hours of operation never went that way, Quimby did. He doesn't know that I know, but he spent many nights at AZKA working to make it successful.

Dr. Quimby Melton leads AZKA graduates to the stage.

 

In the mornings, you would find Quimby standing at the door greeting students. Sometimes students brought their problems from home, just like they do in all schools, but Quimby was the right person for A. Z. Kelsey Academy. We're fortunate he served there for these many years.

 

So it's with sadness I realize that today is Quimby's last day with us. He is a true professional and a friend who will be missed. Enjoy retirement, Quimby.

 

This is also my opportunity to reflect on his decision to retire. His decision is a message to me. I have to try to understand and comprehend it. Across the nation people are getting to the point where the idea of doing more with less is just becoming more and more difficult.

 

No Child Left Behind was supposed to be the silver bullet that was going to improve education. It's not the silver bullet we thought it was. Now we have new a national and state administration with brand new ideas about how to improve public education. It seems everybody has an idea, and that just gets old.

 

I will continue to think about Dr. Melton's retirement and the lessons I can learn from it. There are lessons for all of us in his decision. Times are getting difficult. Hard decisions are going to be made as we look at moving forward.

 

John Hemphill
John's retirement reception was held yesterday at Anne Street Elementary. When it was his turn to speak, he said something very profound and very true. John said, "This is my school." That's the way he feels, and that's the way I'd always envisioned him over the many years I've known him. He loves the students and employees of Anne Street Elementary. He gave his all. He will be missed. Enjoy your retirement, John!

 

Our school system won't have these two individuals on an active basis anymore, but I know they will continue to support us and public education, and for that I thank both of them.

 

And for the rest of us, let's remember these two individuals as some of the pioneers that helped us Dare to do Better! Have a good weekend!