West Carroll school hosts special retirement ceremony for 3 teachers

ATWOOD, Tenn. — Not every day will you find a marching band playing music down school hallways.

“We walk these halls every day, but never quite like that,” said retiree Terry Cupples. “It was wonderful.”

For these high school musicians, it’s a final song for three special teachers to mark the end of a combined 114 years inside the classroom. “It was completely unexpected but very much appreciated,” retiree Marcia Coleman said.

Side by side, Marcia Coleman, Terry Cupples and Pamela Joyner took a lap around the junior and senior high school. From the eighth graders to the upperclassmen, it’s a chance for them to see the smiling faces of former students as they walk into retirement.

“It really touches your heart to know how much they care about you,” Joyner said. “And this is a first for West Carroll, so we get to leave in style.”

As for what’s to come after the markers are put away, books stacked and lockers shut for the last time, they plan to take time to rest, spend time with family and continue doing what they love — teaching.

“So I can share what I know about science with my grandson,” Joyner said. “He’s a real science buff.”