Faces and Places of the Panhandle: Local educator retires

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Making tea, checking emails, and monitoring students. This is a day in the life of Mrs. Black at Bozeman High School.

“Teaching experience-wise, I’ve been a public school educator for 41 years,” Cynthia Black, assistant administrator at Bozeman, said. “Here at Bozeman, I’ve worked nine years as an administrative assistant.”

Mrs. Black says working at Bozeman has been a blessing, her favorite memories involve helping former students.

“To see someone who’s actually a student, go on to college, and then come back and be a teacher here,” Black said. “That’s probably my most treasured memories.”

Mrs. Black’s coworkers will remember all the moments they had with her.

“It’s the little moments that add up,” Christie West, assistant principal at Bozeman, said. “Mrs. Black is the kindest person I know. She will be the first to sit down and pray with you, pray for our school, pray for our students.”

After 41 years of teaching, and nine years at Deane Bozeman as an assistant principal, Mrs. Black has left quite a legacy. But it’s her light that her colleagues say they’ll miss the most.

“Just think it’s her heart,” West said. “Her heart is in this. Her heart has been in education and her heart is in Bozeman. So I definitely think it’s just her presence being on this campus that’s going to be missed the most.”

Mrs. Black now moves into the next phase of her life.

“Retirement is very busy, I always have a project,” Black said. “I’m going to putter this summer. And then we’re going to travel in the fall. For the first time, we’re going to take a fall vacation.”

But retirement won’t stop her from being a teacher at heart.

“I’ll probably be available for tutoring next winter,” Black said. “Once a teacher, always a teacher. "

Always willing to pour her heart into education.

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