Bonnie Myers did not plan to become an educator. However, for the past 25 years she’s been the kind of classroom leader and principal who knows every student’s name and listens to her teachers’ ideas.

This is her final year as principal at Bodkin Elementary School in Pasadena. She started her current job in 2020, but the school has been intertwined with her career and life.

“We are devastated to see Bonnie go. Bonnie is the heart and soul of Bodkin,” said Lena Kaba, Bodkin’s Parent-Teacher Association president and a mom of three in Anne Arundel Public Schools. “This is not just a job for her, and it has been very hard, even for all the kids, to see her go.”

The community at Bodkin is tight knit, Myers said. Parents are involved in school activities and supportive of teachers, and educators tend to stay put.

Growing up, Myers did not see herself as a teacher. She studied business at Salisbury University, where she met her husband. Born in Rehoboth, Delaware, she and her husband moved to Anne Arundel County after graduation in 1987.

She worked nights as a waitress and volunteered at Bodkin because her two boys were students there.

The principal at the time, Rocco Ferretti, asked her if she would consider substitute teaching. She was 35 the first year she ran her own classroom, but once she had a taste for teaching, she never looked back, she said.

She went back to school, earning her master’s in elementary education from Notre Dame of Maryland in 2001.

Since then, she’s spent years teaching at elementary schools. She then served two years as Southgate Elementary School’s vice principal, six as its principal and then returned to Bodkin.

Twice nominated as principal of the year, Myers said she makes a point of identifying talent and mentoring young teachers and administrators like Ferretti did with her.

“I treat teachers like I’d want to be treated,” Myers said.

Jennifer Elsis, Bodkin’s school counselor of 23 years, knew Myers as a parent, teacher and now principal.

“She has not changed her philosophy,” Elsis said. “She truly loves what she does, and she wants everyone around her to love it.”

For every challenge the school faces, she brings ideas, data to back them up and a positive attitude, Elsis said. Finding ways to make education fun for teachers and students is as important to her as finding solutions to challenges.

“It’s a great day at work when Bonnie Myers is your principal,” Elsis said.

Molly Deboy and Nicole Zapf are both certified reading specialists who coach teachers and work with students.

“There are many administrators who do sort of hide in their office and they’re not available. But Bonnie is always available,” Zapf said.

Zapf has worked with Myers for eight years, starting at Southgate Elementary and following her to Bodkin.

“Your principal sets the tone for the entire school,” Zapf said. “She’s supportive of everyone, sees the best in everyone and believes in people and pushes people beyond their own beliefs of what they can do but also trusts us and our own knowledge.”

“She’s always about change and trying new things,” Deboy said.

In an increasingly difficult time to be a teacher, Myers has their backs, according to Zapf and Deboy. She understands teachers are human and, 25 years later, she is happy to act as a substitute teacher in a pinch.

“She is all about listening. She’s open-minded,” said Deboy, who is in her second year at Bodkin. “She wants teachers to come to work every day and be excited about what they’re teaching and how they’re teaching it.”

There are 500 kids at Bodkin and Myers knows all of them.

“She not only knows their name, she will know their story,” Elsis said.

When students need to interact with the administration, typically when they’re in trouble, they feel comfortable talking to Myers because she has established trust with every student, Elsis said.

Myers said the message she tries to instill in her students is simply “be kind.” As for teachers, Myers encourages anyone who enjoys children to pursue education.

“We want those types of people to be in education even if they don’t think they’re a teacher,” Myers said. “We can teach you to teach. We can’t teach you to like kids.”

She’s retiring because she is proud of Bodkin and the community and wants to leave on a high note, she said.

“There’s work always to be done, but I’ve got a nice foundation here going,” Myers said.

The new principal, Mark McCalpin, was selected with community input and Myers is happy to see him take over, she said. McCalpin is currently the principal of Lake Shore Elementary in Pasadena.

Last week, the school had a celebration for Myers and Comfort, the Anne Arundel County Police Department’s comfort dog, who is also retiring.

Students lined the hallways to say thank you and give hugs.

Myers and her husband, who recently retired, plan to spend their time traveling, attending Orioles and Ravens away games and exploring new cities.

Anne Arundel County’s schools will stay in her life. Her son and daughter-in-law are both teachers in the county and she hopes to volunteer as a tutor for students and a mentor for teachers.

Have a news tip? Contact Bridget Byrne at bbyrne@baltsun.com or 443-690-7205