Brooks retires after service with SOCSD, Girl Scouts
After more than three decades of serving families in the Starkville and Oktibbeha County communities, Elmarie Carr Brooks will finally have some time to relax a little.
Brooks, 66, retired from the StarkvilleOktibbeha Consolidated School District on Dec. 31, 2017 after a decade as a project manager working with families at the Emerson Family School. Prior to her time at Emerson, Brooks spent 24 years working as a membership director with the Girl Scouts of the United States former Greater Mississippi Council.
Brooks grew up in West Point and graduated from Jackson State University in 1972 with a bachelor's in elementary education. She later completed a master's in public policy and administration from Mississippi State University.
“I've always wanted more freedom, and in retirement I'm looking forward to having more freedom to visit my grandchildren,” Brooks said. “I have seven grandchildren. I have a daughter who's finishing her master's degrees. I want to help her with babysitting for she and her husband, then I have a daughter on the coast.”
Brooks said she also hoped to travel more, and went on a cruise to celebrate her retirement.
After a period away, she hopes to return to Emerson as a part-time consultant and teacher.
“Some of the families ended up calling me ‘Mama' because I was straight with them,” Brooks said. “I didn't pretend with them. If they needed to make some life changes they respected that. I think I was an influence to help make some real life changes for some of the families.”
Brooks also reminisced about the Girl Scout day camps she held in Moncrief Park.
“Every third week of July from 8 p.m. to 5 p.m. that whole week, and it was hot, “Brooks said “Now I see girls who attended that camp with the fond memories that they had coming to me 20 years later (and saying) ‘Thank you Mrs. Brooks for that opportunity.' I met a parent who was working in Walmart, and she thanked me for allowing her daughter to come to day camp.”
She also plans to become more involved at her church, New Zion United Methodist Church, where she teaches an adult Sunday school class. However, she hopes not to become involved in too many areas.
“I don't want to get so involved in things that I might as well be on a full-time job,” Brooks said. “I don't want to have people depending on me to complete tasks and lead this and do that.”
She said she plans to spend more time with her grandchildren and be as involved as she can in their schools. She also is considering volunteering with the Girl Scout troop at her church.
“I've been warned not to overextend myself, because people tend to do that when you're retired,” Brooks said.
Emerson Director Joan Butler said Brooks had long been an asset to the school.
“We look at her as being somebody who can really connect with families, and develop good relationships with them and is certainly very dedicated to that cause,” Butler said.