In the past four and a half years, Diane Holmes said she has fallen in love with the students, staff and community of Flomaton Elementary School. However, for health reasons she will be retiring as the FES principal, effective June 30.
Holmes, 62, came to Flomaton after serving as assistant principal at Robertsdale Elementary School.
“I love this school,” she said of FES. “It was a hard decision to make.”
She said the past school year was tough on her due to some health issues.
“I've got some illnesses I've had to deal with,” she said. “I'm just worn down. I felt it was time to step back and let somebody else take over.”
Escambia County School Superintendent John Knott said he has received applications and interviewed four for the new FES principal position. He expects to make his recommendation to the school board at a special school board meeting, scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 26, at the central office in Brewton.
“I love these children,” Holmes said. “I will have a hard time leaving them. Flomaton has been my family for the past four and a half years.”
She said she fell in love with the small town, family atmosphere when she first came to Flomaton.
She said she left a 1,200-student school in Robertsdale and fell in love with the personal connect with every student at Flomaton. When she arrived, Flomaton Elementary School had 320 students, at the end of the most current school year the enrollment had jumped to 415.
“They know me and I know them,” she said. “I loved the community and the family feeling.”
She said being able to get to know each student personally was a blessing.
“They need a lot of love and I love loving on them,” she said.
She said a few things that stand out in her tenure at Flomaton is the creation of an elementary school honor society and expanding field day to a full day of fun and games.
“I always stressed academics but I wanted them to play hard,” she said. “Kids are kids. They need to have fun at school. When they have fun it carries over into the classroom. I wanted to make school a wonderful place to be for the children. During the summer, some would rather come back to school.”
She said she feels the key to academic success begins with children enjoying school and wanting to come to school.
“Every day I told them, 'be kind to your friends and classmates, show respect to your teachers and adults, be your best in academics and behavior; it's your chance to be a better person, let's say it and believe it,” she said. “Then we'd yell 'we're the best at FES'.”
She said she repeated that phrase every morning of every school day because she felt it was important.
“I know I'm going to miss it, but it's just time,” she said. “I'll come back and visit; I know I can't just walk away without a few more hugs.”
