After 26 years in the Demopolis City School System, Westside Elementary Principal Connie Brown is calling it a career.

Brown, who has served as WES principal for the past four years, will retire at the conclusion of this school year, bookending a career that started and finished at the city’s elementary school.

“Every teacher when you get to 25 years starts thinking about it,” Brown said of her coming retirement. “There’s something inside of me that craves change and challenges and that’s why I love this job; there’s always change and challenges. But it will be nice for a little break in the middle.”

Brown said she has no firm plans post retirement but hopes to be able to put her experience and education to use somewhere and somehow.

The announcement of her coming retirement brings closure to a career that has seen stops at WES (teacher’s aide for one year; kindergarten teacher for seven years; classroom guidance teacher for five years and principal for four years) and Demopolis Middle School (counselor for eight years and assistant principal for two years).

The advice Brown leaves for her to-be-determinded predecessor is simple:

“Be ready to learn as much as lead,” she said. “There’s a lot to be learned here from this staff. Too, be consistent and fair with all your teachers, your parents and your students.”