Principal Diane Teer says White

has been a cherished staff member and friend at the school and that is

going be hard to get used to her not being in the media center when school

reopens in August.

"We have many parents

here who once attended Hood and one of their first questions is often,

'Is Ms. White still in the media center?' They remember her after all

of these years," Teer said. "She has passed on to our students

her love of reading and her love of books. I can't think of a better legacy."

White was honored during the

school's last staff meeting of the year where School Superintendent John

DeCotis presented her with a plaque naming the media center in her honor.

With her husband Jimmy, a retired principal from Fayette Jr. High School,

now called Fayette Middle, and her family by her side, White tearfully

accepted the honor and received a standing ovation from the school's faculty

and staff.

"Nothing could be better

than this. Thank you. This is wonderful," said White.

In recognition of White's love

of taking photographs of student achievements over the years, Hood Avenue's

PTO presented her with a digital camera so that she can spend her retirement

capturing images of her grandchildren and family. The school's faculty

also paid a special tribute to White by singing their own rendition of

"Thanks for the Memories" with lyrics written by Teer.