Retiring DHS principal Derrick Byrd visits with Warhorse Co-Editor and junior Noah Davila during Byrd’s last week on campus. Photo by DHS Photographer Samantha Vera

At the end of this semester, Principal Byrd will be retiring after 8 years at Devine and 31 years in education as a whole. Though retiring, he has no plans of slowing down quite yet.

“I’ve been hired as a project manager for 4 different branches, who all came together and made me a deal,” Byrd said. “I’ll be in charge of 70,000 acres of ranch, so I’ll be busy.”

Byrd started his 31 years of service in education after graduating from Oklahoma Christian University with a degree in teaching. 

“I got my first degree to teach, pricipalling was just the natural progression,” Byrd said. “I was reassigned to Assistant Principal while teaching in Pearsall, so that’s when I started working on my Master’s degree at Texas A&M International in Laredo.  I’ve been in administration for 16 years now, and I’ve worked all over. 

Byrd was inspired to pursue a career in teaching from his experience attending a small high school in Gunter, Texas.

“I graduated with 25 kids,” Byrd said. “Your English teacher would be the same teacher all 4 years. You got very close to your teacher. It was very family-like, so all of my teachers from that time heavily influenced me.”

After half of his administrative career spent in Devine, Byrd has formed strong connections with the rest of the administration and many of the teachers here on campus.

“I’ll miss not being able to have the same connection with the staff,” Byrd said. I respect them a whole lot, we’ve been through a lot together. Now, Mrs. Martin won’t be there to yell at me.”

After 31 years of learning from his students and colleagues, one lesson has stood out the most.

“I’ve learned to listen to people,” Byrd said. “Not to just listen to what they say, but what the meaning of what they say is.”