Elizabeth Grubbs was honored with a retirement reception at the Pike County Board of Education building Tuesday afternoon.

Grubbs will officially retire Friday after serving in the county school system for 36 years.

She was first principal at Shellhorn School but then held many positions with the Pike County Board of Education.

Grubbs worked in the county’s central office for the 17 years prior to her retirement. She has served the county schools as administrative assistant for instructional support and school counselor. Grubbs also worked with student assessment, the At-Risk program, Indian Education, textbook procurement, Library/Media specialist, and High Hope remediation.

Dr. Mark Bazzell, superintendent of Pike County Schools, congratulated Grubbs on her retirement and wished her well in this new phase of her life.

“Mrs. Grubbs has been a part of our school system for a long time and has done an outstanding job,” Bazzell said. “She will be missed.”

Grubbs is originally from Pickens County. Her dad worked in the same type job that she has made her life’s work.

“My dad was a supervisor and he evaluated teachers,” she said. “I admired him and I was inspired by him.”

Her dad was the motivation for Grubbs to go into education and it’s a decision that she has never regretted.

She attended and earned degrees at Tuskegee University, the University of West Alabama and Wayne State in Michigan.

“I loved being involved in education,” Grubbs said. “I enjoyed my work with students when I worked with Chapter I and as a school counselor.”

Grubbs said that, over the three plus decades that she has been involved in education, she has seen many changes, some for the better, some not.

“Today, education is geared more to the students,” she said. “More opportunities are available to them. Education is more student centered and that’s good.”

Even with all of the technology that is available in schools today, Grubbs said that technology will never replace the classroom teacher.

“Teachers have to compete with so many things today,” she said.

“Teachers almost have to stand on their heads to get the students’ attention. But, for students to be successful, they have to be motivated and there’s no substitute for the classroom teacher when it comes to inspiring and motivating students.”