South faculty says goodbye to Mr. Russell

South Middle School faculty members said their final goodbyes to Mr. Mark Russell during the awards assembly and talent show May 24, the last day of school.
Mrs. Gayle Daniels sang a farewell song to Mr. Russell, and Mr. Randy Turner read the following poem:

A Tribute to Mark Russell

For a final time, we say goodbye
to someone we all know.
He has made a difference in our lives
and we hate to see him go.

It's not to say he's been here long
and to keep this program from draggin'
I'll omit the stories of how he came to South
in the back of a covered wagon.

It was way back in the '80s
when he first came to our school
with white shirt and tie, and tight black pants,
Mr. Russell was Mr. Cool.

In Mr. Russell's class, the rules were strict;
his word, once said, was law.
He checked north and south for a running mouth,
the smallest infraction he invariably saw.

His room was dark as night they say,
the darkest of all of our teachers.
You'd do it, too, with that ugly crew,
that group of sixth grade creatures.

His former students love the man
for his dedication to teaching science
and how it took him half an hour
to figure how to work each class appliance.

When dark, black cloud would come our way
and lightning crossed the sky,
it was Mr. Russell who kept us all informed,
though no one knew just why.

One day, he ran up and down the halls,
no student could have been as rowdy.
"No snow, no tornado, no rain," he said,
he warned us about partly cloudy.

And now we pay him tribute
on his last day in these halls
and give a cheer, for the work done here,
and feel sad that his retirement calls.

And now he'll spend his days and nights,
working on his farm.
Here at South we folks, will miss his jokes
and that old Mark Russell charm.

No longer will we hear those words
that so often touched our heart.
Mr Russell, have a good day, we're glad you came this way
...and thanks for shopping Wal-Mart.

(Photo: Mrs. Daniels sings to Mr. Russell during the Talent Show.)