Pleasant Ridge Principal Sheila Light To Retire in June

Jaws dropped as the news of Sheila Light’s retirement started to circulate the hallways of l. Light has been principal there for nine years, the longest position held without a change within the district by an administrator.

She will retire June 30. 

“It’s a hard job to leave,” Light said.

Light said there will be many things she'll miss about the job. 

“I get to be around children everyday,” Light said. “I enjoy being at the table with such a talented and creative educational team, too, but I’m really going to miss the kids.” 

Light has a diverse background in education and holds three degrees: a bachelor’s in elementary education, a master's in curriculum and instruction, a master's in educational leadership and she also graduated from the Anderson School of Management at UCLA. Her academic accomplishments have given her the opportunity to work in many areas of education and have given her a chance to work with families. 

“I’ve worked with families my whole career,” she said.

Light expressed how important it is for her to make connections with the families who have children attending her school. She likes to start making those connections as early as kindergarten registration. She noted sadness, this past week, as she realized the kids she met that will be starting kindergarten in the fall, won’t be “her kids.” 

Saline Area Schools superintendent Scot Graden said Light is all about the students. 

“Ms. Light has been a wonderful educational leader for Saline Area Schools. Her instructional knowledge is excellent and she has always been an advocate for her students," Graden said.

“She is a child-centered principal,” said Cindy Glennie, who teaches first graders at Pleasant Ridge. “For Sheila, it is about the whole child, not just assessments, test scores and data.”

Pam Wickman, of the school's media center said, “She is an extremely knowledgeable, dedicated, empathetic leader who has been a major influence on the creation of a positive, dynamic, and collaborative learning environment at Pleasant Ridge.” 

Light is proud of what she and her team accomplished at Pleasant Ridge, which she likes to call one of Saline's "best-kept secrets." She described her style of leadership.

“What I’ve learned about good leadership is you have to make good decisions based on imperfect information,” Light said. “It always comes down to the same question: ‘Is this good for the students?’ Every decision must be measured in that way.”  

She also admitted that sometimes it is best to just get out of the way. 

“A big part of my philosophy in being a smart administrator is to get the parameters down, and then get out of the way of the creative people with talent, and just let them go.” 

Light said she loves to watch a teacher build on an idea, turn it into something, and make it work. As a teacher who has worked on Light’s staff for eight years, Glennie appreciates her principal's support.

“She always supports us with what we are doing in our classrooms,” Glennie said. “We are better at what we do because of her.” 

Wickman added, “I’ve had the very good fortune of working with Sheila since she started at Pleasant Ridge, and I have always felt that, as long as my actions were in the best interests of the students, I had her full trust, respect, and support.” 

Jeanne Lambros, also a first grade teacher, agreed.

“I believe that every decision Sheila has made as principal of Pleasant Ridge was made in the best interest of our children, our school and the district,” she said. 

Pleasant Ridge staff started hearing rumblings of a possible retirement for Light last year, during all the negotiations and reconfigurations throughout the district.

“We were so afraid she was going to go then, and so happy when we heard she was staying,” Glennie said. “I think she stayed on, partly because she wanted to make sure we (the staff) were going to be okay with all of the changes." 

Light is known by parents for her way of dealing with disciplinary issues.

“Discipline has to be about opportunities,“ she said. “Kids must have an opportunity to be independent, use their own words and problem solve.“ 

Light is adamant that she never turned a trip to the principal’s office into a scary event.

“If  a child is afraid, their ability to learn stops," she said. “If they are afraid, I put them at ease immediately, and then they aren‘t afraid if there is a next time.”

Light said she often made the strongest bonds with kids who were in trouble a lot, really getting to know them.

After nine years on the job, Light has seen some of her elementary students graduate from high school. One of the aspects of the job she finds most rewarding is being recognized by a former student.

“I was at a high school football game and a member of the band, who is now 6’2” tall, came and hugged me and picked me up,” she said, “It was so cool, just a wonderful, warm thing to have happen.”  

To observe Light in the hallway is to see her calling children by their names, and knowing much about each one. She is at each school event, greets students at the door in the morning, hangs out with them at lunch and observes their classrooms.

“She truly cares about everyone in that building," Graden said.

When she isn’t at school, she is answering emails from parents, PTA and staff.

“You never get away from the job, which is okay,” she said.

Light admitted to being a little anxious every now and then when she thinks of not continuing on as principal, but retirement for her in no way means slowing down.

“The pride of my life are my two sons,” she said

One of her sons, John, works in human resources in education in the state of Illinois. Her other son, Thomas, travels the world in his work for the Clinton Foundation. Light and her husband Ed, look forward to traveling to see them. 

“I just want to be able to take a vacation in September if I want to,” she said. "That is a really nice time of year to visit Europe.”

She said she and her husband plan to spend three or four months of the year abroad. 

“Maybe Brazil next, depending on the boys,” she said.

Light has also not ruled out going back to work.