School staff retires with many years of service

In addition to three classroom teachers, the Morgan County school system is saying farewell to several other long-time employees.

Rhonda Sirbaugh retired from 22 years service to the Morgan County school board this week.

Sirbaugh has been the school assistance team coordinator and special education diagnostician for county schools since 1999. In that position, she tested students with exceptional needs on the whole spectrum from special education to gifted.

Prior to her role as diagnostician, Sirbaugh was a special education teacher here. She spent her first 14 years of teaching in Berkeley County.

The best part of teaching is working with kids, Sirbaugh said. That's why we do it.

Sirbaugh is a Morgan County native and has lived in the county her whole life, except when she went to college.

I will always live in Morgan County. This is my home, she said. Sirbaugh raised two children – Seth and Shea Sirbaugh – here in the county.

Sirbaugh said her plans for retirement include reading and working around her home.

Gary Sanders also retired from his post this summer. Since 2002, he has worked as the county's special education coordinator.

Sanders came to Morgan County from Lincoln County with 28 years of education experience. In addition to being a middle and high school teacher, Sanders had been a homebound teacher, individual education coordinator and a diagnostician. He also taught courses in Adult Basic Education.

The county's school system is also saying goodbye to long-time mechanic Junior Henry and Maintenance Supervisor Tom Grove.

Henry started as an assistant mechanic at the bus garage in 1977. After 31 years of keeping more and more complicated machinery working and on the road, Henry is retiring as Chief Mechanic. He'll continue keeping an eye on school buses as both a substitute mechanic and driver after retirement.

Tom Grove has overseen major construction and renovation projects in his six years as Maintenance Supervisor. Before taking that post, Grove had been an electrician in the maintenance department.

He was the school system's eyes and ears during the construction of Warm Springs Intermediate School, and the conversion of North Berkeley Elementary into the school board offices. Grove also supervised major upgrades at Berkeley Springs High School, his own alma mater.