Anyone who has entered the front office of Tippecanoe High School in the past decade has met Marilynn Rowe. As the head secretary of the high school, Rowe has been involved in the lives of thousands of students and parents over the past eleven years and has worked in the district for even longer. Whether teachers needed emergency supplies, parents needed answers regarding class registration, or a student needed a guiding hand, Rowe was always happy to be the person that anyone in the building could come to for help.

And now, eleven years after taking the position at the high school, the district will say goodbye to one of its most dedicated employees as Rowe enters retirement. I sat down with Rowe to ask her about the good, the bad, and the most memorable moments of her career. Of everything she experienced while working at the high school, Rowe claimed that one thing remained constant.

“The kids were always the best.” She smiles as she remembers the eleven first days of school, the eleven graduating classes, the eleven years of memories that she experienced. “They were so happy to learn and grow, so they were the best part.”

Before her time at the high school, Rowe was still present in the district. She worked on the business side of things in the board of education, but when her contract was not renewed one year, she said the high school was her only option. “I was a single mom- I needed to work,” she said. She took the job in the main office, and hasn’t looked back since.

Through a pandemic, school scandals, and the craziness of hundreds of teenagers gathered under the same roof, Rowe has remained a constant. And as her time at the high school comes to an end, I asked her what she was looking forward to most.

“Traveling!” she laughed as she answered. “I’m going to travel, and spend more time with my grandkids.” With plans to visit Europe over the summer, and the possibility of a drive out west in her future, Rowe feels that she has plenty of sightseeing to look forward to. And with eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild, she’ll keep busy traveling to sporting events, plays and recitals, and graduation parties.

Ultimately, Rowe is ready to relax and enjoy her freedom. With words of wisdom that many people can take to heart, she said, “I’m going to take it one day at a time and see what happens.”