Hollimon reflects on 40 years in education

RUSSELLVILLE – Dr. Deanna Hollimon always felt she was called to be an educator.

After 40 years as a teacher, reading coach, administrator and education leader, Hollimon is retiring from a profession that shaped not only her own life but the lives of generations of students, teachers and families.

“I always knew I wanted to be a teacher,” Hollimon said. “Even as a little girl, I lined up my dolls and taught them. I never really wavered from that.”

She began her career in 1986 as a third-grade teacher at West Elementary School.

She taught third grade for 10 years before moving to first grade. After nine years in that role, she became the school’s first Alabama Reading Initiative reading coach, shifting her focus from working primarily with students to working primarily with teachers.

“My job was to help teachers understand what students needed and how to meet those needs,” Hollimon said. “Reading is something we learn. It is built layer by layer, from phonemic awareness to phonics to comprehension. My role was to help teachers see where a student was struggling and how to respond.”

She said Russellville’s success in reading was never about a single program.

“The difference was that teachers knew their students,” she explained. “They knew their families. They cared deeply about them. That mattered more than any initiative.”

Former city schools Principal Rocky Stone said Hollimon’s skill was evident early in her career.

“She was a master teacher,” Stone said. “She loved education and she worked constantly to make it better. Her career shows that.”

After serving as a reading coach, Hollimon became assistant principal at West Elementary, then assistant principal at Russellville Middle School, and later principal at West Elementary.

Deanna Hollimon reading a book to kindergarteners when she was principal at West Elementary.

“It was new territory,” Hollimon said of moving into administration. “But I had great mentors, great office staff and great teachers around me. You can only be successful in leadership if the people around you are strong.”

Former colleague Dianne Pace said Hollimon always carried the heart of a teacher into every role.

“She loved children and she loved learning,” Pace said. “She was always an educator, no matter what position she was in.”

In 2020, Hollimon transitioned into a regional leadership role at the University of North Alabama, where she worked with the Regional Inservice Center and the College of Education.

Her work focused on professional learning for educators across multiple systems and preparing future teachers before they entered the classroom.

“She had a lasting impact on me, my family and our schools,” said Dr. Monica Moon, who was Hollimon’s student, then her colleague and later an administrator she mentored. “She loved, served and grew the best in us all.”

Moon said Hollimon’s move beyond Russellville allowed her influence to expand.

“Seeing her step outside the black and gold as a UNA Lion allowed others in local systems to benefit from her professional skills, knowledge and experience,” Moon said.

Former student and colleague Chasity Parker described Hollimon as a constant presence throughout her career.

“She was my teacher, my reading coach, my assistant principal, my principal and then my director at UNA,” Parker said. “She was always my biggest cheerleader. She watched me grow from a student into a teacher and then into a leader. She was always in my corner.”

Former student Gabe Willis said Hollimon’s impact extended well beyond academics.

“She made school feel safe,” Willis said. “Her smile lit me up as a kid.”

Years later, when Willis dropped off his own children at West Elementary, seeing Hollimon again brought unexpected comfort.

“I was nervous that morning,” Willis said. “But when I saw her, I knew my kids were in good hands. I knew they were going to be loved.”

Hollimon said those kinds of moments are what stays with her.

“I had a parent tell me once that their child said I was always smiling,” she said. “I never forgot that. Sometimes the smallest things mean the most.”

She said students taught her as much as she taught them.

“They taught me that every child deserves our very best,” Hollimon said, “no matter who they are or what they come in with.”

Hollimon also credits her own teachers with shaping her path.

She points to fourthgrade teacher Delphia Clark as the one who instilled her love of reading and to her high school speech teacher Lela Ray for helping her find her voice.

“I was nervous about being a valedictorian and giving that speech,” Hollimon said. “She gave me advice that I used my whole career.”

Ray said she is proud of Hollimon.

“She was always willing to grow and learn,” Ray said. “She became exactly what we hoped our students would become.”

Hollimon said she worries about burnout among today’s teachers and hopes communities continue supporting those in the profession.

“Teaching has changed,” she said. “The expectations are higher, the pressures are greater, and the needs are more complex. But the heart of the work is the same. Kids still need adults who care about them.”

As she steps into retirement, Hollimon plans to spend more time with family to garden, cook, read and continue teaching part time as an adjunct instructor at UNA.