Veterans of Marshpoint Elementary School reflect on 25 years, teachers who made it special
When Marshpoint Elementary School opened 25 years ago, Cindi Kobleur was promoted from her position as assistant principal at May Howard Elementary and tapped as principal of the brand spanking new school on Whitemarsh Island.
As fortune would have it, Cindi was allowed to pick her own team for Marshpoint, including Francie Browne, who had been in the computer lab at May Howard. In addition to Francie, Cindi selected dozens of other instructors from May Howard and other places to establish a valuable team, Francie said.
“It was an incredibly unique situation,” Francie recalled. “Cindi picked personnel that she knew would work together.”
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Added Lee Green who decided to work for Cindi again after leaving the system to have a baby: “Cindi had a vision and a knack for choosing the right people.
“I had no intention of going back to work, but I went by to see Cindi and the school,” Lee recalled. She ended up leaving with a job offer and accepted.
Cindi had a way of “getting you to do things that you either didn’t want to do or didn’t know how to do,” Francie explained. “She gave us freedom and certainly wasn’t a micromanager. She was a great connector.”
Although a handful of the original Marshpoint teachers have retired, moved or died, most of the group has stayed in touch and meet monthly for lunch or dinner.
On Saturday, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., the original Marshpoint teachers and staff will gather at Benedictine Military School for a 25th anniversary celebration.
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Francie, Lee and Patty Sullivan met recently to share their thoughts about (Cindi) who was their fearless leader in those early days at Marshpoint.
“We were all friends then, and we’re all friends now,” Francie explained. Sadly, 10 of the original teachers and staffers have died but they all are remembered with affection and will be recognized at Saturday’s event.
Lee said Cindi was “accessible and approachable,” and so good at spotting a need and zeroing in on the right person to fulfill that need. “She was upbeat and a cheerleader.”
The camaraderie at Marshpoint was awesome, Lee said. “We spent a lot of time working together after school and at night and we didn’t mind. We were all friends, so it never seemed like a chore. There was almost zero turnover because it was such a pleasant working environment.”
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At one point Cindi was principal of both Marshpoint and Islands Elementary School, which was nearby. In fact, she used a golf cart to drive back and forth between the two schools. Finally, another principal was hired for Islands and Cindi was able to concentrate on her team at Marshpoint, said Francie who stayed at Marshpoint until she retired and eventually returned there to work part time.
Both Lee and Patty also stayed at Marshpoint until they retired.
Polly Powers Stramm is a contributing lifestyles columnist. Contact Polly at 912-657-3877 or pollparrot@aol.com. See more columns by her at SavannahNow.com/lifestyle/.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Former staff at Marshpoint Elementary School to celebrate 25 years
