After 26 years in the South Whidbey School District, school is finally out for Sue Terhar. She’s going to focus on the little things, such as tending to her yard or traveling to Alaska to see her grandchildren, and is counting down the days until her Aug. 31 retirement.

“I’m just so excited, I can hardly stand it,” Terhar said. “It builds up. I’ve been thinking about it for quite a while and then I just decided I would go for it.”

“I have a lot of things I’m looking forward to,” she added.

Terhar, a 1971 graduate of Langley High School, is secretary to the superintendent. Terhar called it “powerful” to have played a role in the many generations who have come and gone in the district, especially if they remember who she is. Though she may not always remember the names of every former student she runs into, she said she’s always tried to make a difference in everybody’s life.

Terhar came on board in 1990, working in the intermediate school workroom where she assisted teachers with their daily needs. She later spent 10 years as Langley Middle School’s head secretary before moving to the district office in 2002 in human resources, and eventually to her current position in 2004. Terhar has worked largely behind the scenes for the district in the years since, silently but diligently keeping the wheels spinning across South Whidbey’s four schools.

“I feel like if they had a question they needed answered, they could turn to me,” Terhar said.

Superintendent Jo Moccia can attest to that.

“It will be a sad day for me when she leaves,” Moccia said. “She’s outstanding at what she does. She’s a really consistent voice and it was my pleasure to work with her.”

Moccia will remember Terhar as someone who could handle a problem or find a solution before Moccia even realized there was an issue. She earned her trust.

“It’s about knowing I can rely on her,” Moccia said. “She’s essentially making sure that if there’s something I need to know, she’s got her ear to the ground.”

“She knows everybody in every building, she understands the culture. She is instrumental in making sure that things are running smoothly.”

Terhar has seen plenty of change in the her two-plus decades with the district, from new staff and “changing of the guards” with superintendents and administrators to seeing enrollment at its highest and lowest peaks.

She recalled how busy the middle school used to be when it teemed with 600 students, and the lasting impact her experience had on her. There are now around half that amount at the school.

“I loved working at the middle school; it was a really great highlight,” Terhar said. “I cried for a year after that, every single day, because I left the kids and the staff.”

Langley Middle School Head Secretary Mary Eaton, who took over for Terhar after she left the middle school, says whoever replaces Terhar will have big shoes to fill.

“Sue has been the ultimate team player for the South Whidbey School District,” Eaton said in an email. “Whatever building she was working in she did her job 100 percent and did it with class and confidence. She is a true professional in her field. She is the go to person for all of us.”

Among her favorite contributions to the district was being a consistent voice who people could rely upon when they needed help. She coordinated many of the district’s events, most recently a community future planning meeting held in May. She also played an integral role in the district receiving a perfect score for its 2014-2015 “Protected Class” assessment in March, which saved the district around $8,000 in insurance.

“It was a huge project, it takes several months to do,” Terhar said.

Terhar says she will miss the people she’s worked with. She’ll also miss the days when she could make a difference in the lives around her and students in the education system.

“I feel like I was pretty dedicated to my job and I just always wanted to make a difference,” Terhar said.