Debbie Gray has spent the last 35 years teaching fifth grade at Wiscasset Middle School, and at the end of this school year she’s moving on.
“It’s time for me to stop,” Gray said on June 7. “I’m going to miss it terribly, but it’s the right time for me to get through.”
Gray said she has loved every year she has taught, and she is especially fond of teaching siblings and even the children of former students.
“She just cherishes all her students,” Principal Linda Bleile said of Gray.
Gray has a composite picture of every one of her classes hanging up in her classroom, and students are always coming back to visit her, Bleile said.
“She is probably one of the most beloved teachers we’ve ever had,” Bleile said.
Bleile described Gray as always smiling, welcoming, and willing to pitch in. Gray has consistently shown her dedication to her students by supporting them after school in sports, art shows, and musical performances, Bleile said.
“You will never find a more dedicated teacher who cares so much about her students equally,” Bleile said.
Though she is not sure what she will be doing after retiring from the school, Gray said she is confident she will fill her time.
“We’ll have to have a new fifth grade teacher next year,” Bleile said, “but we’ll never replace her.”
