As Highlands High School prepares to say goodbye to some of its educators, reflections on the significance left on both students and the community are emerging. After 28 years of service, physics teacher Scott Turner is ready to embrace retirement. Brought to the school by the appeal of a supportive community and principal.
“The biggest change for me personally has been the facilities. When I first started here, there was no air conditioning, and my room was on the 3rd floor above the dumpsters. When it got warm outside, it was really smelly, and there were lots of bees. Overall, that’s been the most dramatic change,” Turner said.
Turner’s commitment to excellence extended beyond physics classes; fulfillment was found in the school’s traditions, particularly its athletic and academic successes. A firm believer in challenging students, Turner has always held high expectations.
“I’ve always found that students here are very bright and looking to do well. When I first got hired here, the principal told me that if I wasn’t challenging enough, the parents would complain about me. I’ve always tried to present challenges to students, but I’ve also been pleased with how well students have always responded to the challenge,” Turner said.
As retirement approaches, relationships with other teachers and staff will be most missed. Turner plans to stay significantly involved in Highlands through multiple events.
“I’ll miss mostly the camaraderie that I have with my peers, the other teachers, and the people and the science department. All the teachers that are teaching here that I have previously taught have been cool to see it happen. I’m going to miss the people most. “I am going to do something as a job after I retire. I’m going to do some home improvement things as well. I’m going to be attending many sporting events and fine arts events at Highlands. Along with subbing,” Turner said.
Joining Highlands in 2002, Kym Grillot has devoted a career to growing students in the social studies program. Grillot recognizes the luck in witnessing the growth of Highlands over the years, particularly during the building remodel.
“One of the biggest changes is number one, the building. They completely remodeled the building in 2005. So, I lived through all the stages of the remodeling. This room was horrible. When I first got there, there was no air conditioning. I think the biggest change is the building, and so it is so different from when I started here,” Grillot said.
Looking toward the future, her intentions include maintaining a connection to education by teaching part-time at Northern Kentucky University, focusing on public speaking and communication classes.
“I’ll be teaching part-time at NKU. Mostly, I teach public speaking and pop culture. I teach communication classes, so I’ll be doing that. My husband is looking to retire and so I want to work a little bit part-time. My two kids are in college right now. So, I want to spend most of my time seeing them through to their college graduation and getting them started to adulthood,” Grillot said.
Both Turner and Grillot have played roles in fostering an incredible environment at Highlands High School. Time spent here shows the profound influence a community-focused education can have on both educators and students.
