CORNELIA, Ga. — When Daphne Penick thinks back to her first year in education, her mind goes not to lesson plans or classrooms, but to a principal who shaped how she would spend the rest of her career.
Her first teaching job was at the old South Habersham building — now the site of Cornelia Elementary School — where longtime educator Larry Hill served as principal. Hill, who spent his entire career in education and led South Habersham Middle School for 20 years before retiring, became Penick’s mentor early on.
“He was ok with you making a mistake, as long as you learned from it,” Penick said. “I learned that very quickly — you make a mistake, you get the lesson, and you grow.”
The mindset of grace, reflection, and growth became a throughline for Penick’s career. This May, she will retire as principal of South Habersham Middle School after 32 years as an employee of Habersham County Schools. Superintendent Patrick Franklin made her retirement announcement during the Board of Education meeting Monday and noted Penick’s 48-year connection to the system, a figure that includes her time as a student growing up in Habersham County.
‘Habersham is truly special to me’
Penick never pictured herself working anywhere else.
“Habersham is just truly special to me,” she said. “I just never saw myself anywhere else.”
The one exception came at Hill’s urging, when Penick left the county briefly to gain counseling experience after earning her degree from Clemson University. Hill told her the system wasn’t hiring counselors without experience, but he also made it clear she would be back.
“He knew a retirement was coming up,” she said. “He said, ‘Go get what you can get under your belt, and you’re going to come back.’ And I was back.”
It’s the little things
Over time, Penick said her view of education changed. Early in her career, she thought success came from big, visible initiatives. Experience taught her otherwise.
“The little things matter,” she said. “When I first started out, I thought it had to be big and shiny. That’s not where it’s at. The little things make big things — for good or for bad.”
As principal, those “little things” helped define the culture at South Habersham Middle School. Penick is quick to deflect praise, saying the school’s strength lies in its people — staff, parents, and students — and the relationships they have built.
“There’s a spirit here at South Habersham that I can’t explain,” she said. “When you walk in the door, you feel it. Visitors feel it. Substitute teachers feel it. Parents can’t always explain it, but they know it’s there.”
South Habersham is a family
She describes the school as a family, united by shared expectations: students come first, mutual respect is required, and tough love is paired with care.
One of the moments that makes her most proud comes during an ordinary walk down the hallway. Penick notices how students greet adults — smiling, waving, saying good morning — often trying to beat her to it.
“We’ve instilled that every child needs to feel a sense of self-worth,” she said. “I never wanted a child to pass an adult in the hallway and not get a smile or a greeting.”
Those small habits, she said, carry beyond middle school. Field trips routinely prompt calls praising South Habersham students’ behavior.
“They want to represent us well because the adults here pour into them,” she said.
Years later, those connections still surface in unexpected ways. Penick recently ran into a former student in the community — now an upperclassman in high school — who asked if she had received his Christmas card. When it arrived through interoffice mail after the holidays, it brought her to tears.
“He said, ‘You’re the best principal. You made middle school fun, but we were safe,’” she said. “Those were the things I needed to hear to say, ‘Ok, I can close this chapter.’”
Asked how she hopes her staff remembers working with her, Penick returned to her core values.
“I hope they remember how I treated students first,” she said. “And then how I made them feel — sometimes that’s tough support, but always with love.”
Retirement was not an easy decision
The decision to retire was not an easy one. Penick said she wrestled with it for years, especially after reaching the 30-year mark. Ultimately, she felt a sense of clarity.
“This is a ministry,” she said of education. “Sometimes that ministry needs to take a turn. It felt like it was time — bittersweet, but time.”
When May arrives, Penick said she looks forward to giving time back to her family after decades of long hours at school. She credits her husband, children, and extended family for making her career possible. Her family’s next chapter includes a daughter’s wedding this summer, a son in college, another serving in the military, and time spent caring for her mother, who lives next door.
“I need to go home and be an excellent wife, mother and daughter,” she said.
Reflecting on her career
Summing up her career in one sentence, Penick said it comes down to giving back what was once given to her — as a teacher, counselor, administrator and counseling coordinator.
“What was done for me is what I wanted to do for others,” she said.
As for the moment when the final bell rings on her last day as principal, Penick paused.
“I don’t even want to think about it,” she said. “It’s going to be tough.”
