KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Celia McCullough has made such a huge impact on students for almost 30 years and now students are showing her how much it means to them.
A special tribute organized by parents, just a day before, brought more than a hundred students, parents and teachers to McCullough’s house Saturday.
The group surprised her, sang the Sequoyah Elementary song and dropped off flowers and homemade cards.
Mrs. Celia is special. She knows every child’s name. She knows what grade and what class they were in. She has truly been the rock of the school for decades, according to those who attended.
Those who know McCullough said she made the school better with a kind smile and sweet disposition while she kept everyone in line.
Celia has her doctorate in counseling psychology and worked at UT for more than a decade in the 70s and 80s as an instructor for several honors human services courses and was later the assistant director of the academic advancement program, which targets and provides assistance to students who are at risk of low academic performance.
Celia started substitute teaching and volunteering at Sequoyah Elementary in the 90s when her kids Ian and Zoe went there and became the office manager in 2009.