You know those women at Costco who give out free food?  Who doesn’t get psyched when you see the magical woman pull out a savory chopped up burrito from the toaster oven?  Well, if you miss Mrs. Lawson after she retires this year, do not fear.  You can track Mrs. Lawson down (and maybe some pizza rolls) at Costco. While I never had the pleasure of being in her class, it was easy to see why so many students adore her.

Mrs. Lawson has been a teacher for 18 years and spent the last 3 of those years here at Sahuaro. With her retirement, she hopes to be able to spend more time with her family because her son is getting married soon and she also has a grandbaby on the way. Along with more family time, she will be working at Costco part-time and visiting Sierra Vista and California.

Mrs. Lawson says that some of her favorite moments have been the discussions with her students and the laughter she has shared with her colleagues at lunch. But along with retirement, comes the fun. She says the things that she will miss the least are standardized test schedules, interruptions like fire alarms and last, but not least, lesson plans and grading papers for hours on top of hours.

“I am in complete denial about Mrs. Lawson leaving Sahuaro. She is a lovely person: warm, kind, and dedicated to her students. I will miss hearing her laugh in the hallway!” says Ms. Martinez, fellow English teacher.  “I’m jealous,” says another English teacher, Ms. Lange.  “It’s one thing when the kids you adore graduate and move on – that’s expected.  But when one of us is done and the other still has ten years to go, it really reminds you of how many more years you’ll be going to high school!”  Mrs. Hughes, another colleague states, “I will miss having lunch together!  Samples at Costco will not be the same.”

Some of the things she hopes her students remember is that they should be “the best that they can be” and that they should “take pride in themselves as well as their school.”

But before the end of her time at Sahuaro, we want to thank her for her time here and wish her good luck on the road ahead of her.