Jean Lewis was overwhelmed when she first joined the Howard County Public School System in January 1991 as the part-time parent liaison for the Black Student Achievement Program.
"I remember sitting there with a yellow legal pad and a pen, in the central office, thinking, 'Where do I even start?'" she said.
More than 20 years later, Lewis is getting ready to retire from her position as family and community outreach specialist. She has gone from being the only parent liaison in the district to overseeing nine of them in 11 different schools.
During her time with the system, the past 11 as outreach specialist, Lewis has overseen the establishment of family involvement teams in several elementary schools and the creation of six community based learning centers, which provide academic support to elementary students living in subsidized housing. Those established partnerships between the schools and the community are here to stay, Lewis said, which makes retiring easier.
"You don't want people retiring from the system, and everything goes with them," said Lewis, 66, of Columbia. "You want something that's left here, and I think that has happened."
Lewis has spent more than two decades building up those partnerships. As a parent liaison, and then as the schools' outreach specialist, she has been responsible for developing relationships with families whose children have not yet met the system's standards, and engaging the three stakeholders in students' education: families, school and communities.
"We're all responsible," she said. "We're sharing these kids, these responsibilities. I was thinking the other day, there are very few communities in Howard County that I don't know somebody in."
Lewis' list of retirement goals is long. Play more bridge. Spend more time with her mother. Go to the gym more. Learn to play the guitar. Travel.
"I've got a good 25 years left to stay in the fast lane," she said.
Most importantly, Lewis said, she plans to stay involved.
"I'm still here in this community and I'm anxious about what I might be able to do in another way for parents. I'm looking forward to working with parents who still need additional support, but on my own time. I'm excited about that."