Pictured (l-r): Dawn Melton, Shirley Phillips, and ACREA President Patsy Buchanan look on as Mayor Tim Varnadore signs a Proclamation designating November 2, 2025 as Retired Educators Day in Baxley/Appling County.
Retired educators have turned in their lesson plans, but their next adventures are just beginning. After years of guiding students towards their dreams, retirement is their turn to explore new paths, chase passions, and enjoy their new freedoms. Whether it’s traveling the world, picking up new hobbies, simply savoring quiet mornings with a good book, or giving back to the community that they cherish, the possibilities are endless. Their day-to-day in the schools may be behind them, but their curiosity, creativity and love of learning will carry them forward into new chapters…because once an educator, always an explorer of life.
There are 370 retired educators in Appling County and 246 members of the Appling County Retired Educators Association (ACREA). To celebrate retired educators and their contributions, November 2, 2025 has been proclaimed as Retired Educators Day in Georgia and in Baxley /Appling County. If you are interested in joining ACREA, the next meeting will be held on November 12, at the Primary School.
