A Sunshine Coast school has given its long-standing principal a send-off usually reserved for graduating students.
Talara State School students and staff lined up to clap out Stephen Adams, who officially retired this month after 23 years at the helm of the school.
The queue of people wanting to be part of the farewell for the much-loved principal stretched from the hall, along the walkways, to the school oval.
The clap-out came after a special ceremony in which students serenaded him with an adapted version of Sweet Caroline.
P&C president Beth Bonney said Mr Adams was highly thought of and much admired by the entire school community, past and present.
“To give you an idea, on Tuesday, there was a lunch for him with all of his previous executive team members and I think there were only three that were missing,” she said.
Ms Bonney said Mr Adams had a knack for being able to garner support from all sectors of the school community for the good of its students.
“He’s been an incredible leader, the way he manages to get the community, the staff, to be a part of it,” she said.
Mr Adams said he was grateful to have arrived at a good school in a good community back in 2002.
“I landed in the rainbow when I started here and I’ve absolutely loved it for the whole 23 years,” he said.
He paid credit to the staff, parents and students for making the school what it was.
“We have 1000 kids and 130 staff but we have a really, really strong team ethic where everybody helps each other. I’ve been incredibly supported and held up,” he said.
“There’s some really clever people around me which makes it fantastic.
“It really is an exceptionally positive place to work and the parents are amazing with their support for the school.”
Mr Adams began his teaching career at a single-teacher school at Aurukun before moving to Mooloolaba State School, where he met his now-wife Jenny, a fellow teacher.
He did stints as principal at Bwgcolman State School on Palm Island, Paramatta Park in Townsville and Hopevale and Coen on Cape York before taking up the role at Talara.
He was joined at Talara by Jenny, who still teaches there, and their children, who went to school there.
Mr Adams began working life as a bank teller but decided “it wasn’t for me” and, with an interest in sport, and became a physical education teacher before moving into school administration.
He said the lessons for him in 36 years of education had come from watching children turn up ready for school despite sometimes adverse circumstances outside of it.
“The biggest lesson that we learn from kids is that they are incredibly resilient and we must give them the attention and opportunity in that space to show how incredibly resilient they are,” he said.
“The other big thing is about respect for the relationship. Never underestimate the effect that a 30-second interaction with a child can have. That 30 seconds can have a lifetime impact for some.”
Mr Adams, a father of three and grandfather of two, said deciding to retire and leave Talara had been a difficult decision but the time had come for him to spend more time with his family.
“I made the decision at Christmas that it’s time to start the next adventure and do all other incredible things that are out there, and it’s time for someone else come in and bring something new to the place,” he said.
A self-described keen but not good surfer, Mr Adams said he was looking forward to being able to hit the waves at his leisure when everyone else was going off to work instead of trying to fit in a couple of sessions in before dawn every week.
