Collierville says goodbye to superintendent
In an afternoon filled with heartfelt speeches — in which the honoree was gifted bedazzled sneakers and compared to George Washington — about 200 people gathered around round tables in the Collierville High School cafeteria Sunday to wish goodbye to the only superintendent the Collierville school district has ever known upon his retirement.
John Aitken — who also received a proclamation from the mayor’s office establishing Sunday John S. Aitken Day — said he was “overwhelmed” by the comments of friends and colleagues and by all the former students who attended Sunday or had written him letters recently.
“There’s nothing more rewarding as a lifelong educator than seeing your kids, your students, succeed,” he said.
Collierville Schools Board Chair Mark Hansen said Aitken never lost sight of the people inside the schools he oversaw or missed an opportunity to laugh or tell a joke to help lighten a serious situation.
“John has taught me that servant leadership is not just big things, it’s small things, it’s everything,” he said. “There’s no job too small or too large for John Aitken to perform for our kids.”
Aitken, who turned 61 Sunday, had led the district since its inception. During a nearly 40-year career in education, Aitken had served as a coach, math teacher, principal and superintendent in the legacy Shelby County Schools.
Collierville High School principal Roger L. Jones III summarized the sentiments of all the speakers in his comments.
“For 39 years of service, to all the students of not only Collierville but Shelby County, thank you,” Jones said.
Aitken announced his retirement earlier this year. At his final school board meeting Thursday, the board discussed a glowing performance review of his final year at the district’s helm, saying they expected nothing less.
In May, the Collierville Schools board unanimously named Gary Lilly as the school system’s next superintendent. For the past decade, Lilly served as the director of schools for the Bristol Tennessee City Schools district in Bristol.
“I know that I’ve got big shoes to fill, figuratively and literally here,” he said after the school board named him Aitken’s successor. “This community is very proud of the school system. And you should be.”
On Sunday, Aitken sang Lilly’s praises, saying they had been friends for years and served in multiple educational organizations together.
“I can’t think of anybody I’d rather be taking my place,” he said.