Meredithe Dearing is retiring after serving Arnett Schools for 25 years. Meredithe has had many roles within the school throughout those years. She began as Mrs. Miller’s Kindergarten aide in 1998. That led to being an aide for all of the elementary teachers, the elementary custodian, helping in the cafeteria, substitute teaching in the high school, and being the elementary library aide.
For the past four years, Mrs. Dearing has also taught two hours of Home Economics where she has introduced students to sewing, cooking, and how to do laundry and iron. Mrs. Dearing’s classes have had the opportunity to use sewing and embroidery machines to make quillows, Christmas stockings, and bean bags. They also learned how to hand-quilt and use plastic canvas. Mrs. Dearing taught her students how to properly measure cooking ingredients, and her classes would prepare the hospitality room for the Veterans Day program and events like Dr. Suess day.
Mr. Gunsaulis, a former superintendent of Arnett Schools, tells the story of Meredithe coming into his office and asking what she needed to do to get certified and become a bus driver for the school. He says that was the first person he ever had come in and ask to drive a bus. Meredithe went on to be a bus driver for Arnett for 20 years.
Meredithe has been married to Tom Dearing for 32 years. Together they have four children: Shannon, Rick, Johnny Ray, and Eli, and 12 grandchildren. Meredithe’s plans for retirement are to do a whole lot of sewing and baking, which are her two favorite hobbies. She says she will greatly miss interacting with the kids at school and learning from the other teachers. She will also be missed greatly by the students and teachers who were influenced by her.
Meredithe Dearing
25 years of Service to Arnett Public Schools