by Anne Gibson
Connie Erickson will shortly begin a new adventure after 26 years as a teacher and 27 years as a principal. Her story in education begins in a one-room schoolhouse with an outhouse and no running water in South Dakota. She taught there for 26 years before moving on to her first position as a principal in Colorado and several years later in Superior, Arizona. She traveled with friends to explore southern Arizona, where they accidentally stumbled upon Acacia Elementary, one of the Vail School District’s two schools and stopped.
There at Acacia she met Wayne Gritis, a teacher at the school, who shared that there was a principal position open at the school. As Mrs. Erickson describes, “It was a bright, sunny day in 1995,” when her 23-year adventure with the Vail School District began. It “was a bright, sunny day” on April 13, 2018, when friends and co-workers, old and new, came to the lodge at Del Webb to celebrate Mrs. Erickson’s 53 years in education and her retirement from the Vail School District.
“Connie and I became bonded friends from the very beginning because we shared an intense passion for education,” said Janet Collins, who traveled from Texas to serve as emcee for the event. Mrs. Collins retired last year as a prized teacher after 30 years at Acacia and Mesquite Schools. Mrs. Erickson’s fondest and wildest memories of her time at Acacia include a bull on the playground, parents picking up their children on horseback, and the ice cream socials.

Pictured: Megan Cloud, Vail United School District Director of Professional Development (right) and Debbie Penn, Vail United School District Deputy Superintendent (left) congratulate Connie Erickson (center) on her retirement after 53 years in education. Mrs. Erickson has served as principal of Acacia, Mesquite, and Senita Valley elementary schools in Vail. Photo by Anne Gibson
In 1999, the Vail School District continued to grow and Mrs. Erickson took on the challenge of planning principal and principal of Mesquite Elementary School in Rita Ranch. It was also in 1999 that she hired a young lady by the name of Debbie Hedgepeth to teach at Mesquite. “Connie told me it was time to join the leadership cohort and to get to work on a higher degree. I had only been a teacher for a couple of years, but when Connie suggests something like that, you jump on it. When the next classes began, I was there. When opportunities opened Connie encouraged me. She was my mentor and champion and she was always there to provide guidance and support. She may not know this, but Connie changed the course of my life,” said Debbie Hedgepeth Penn. Mrs. Penn has advanced in the Vail School District to the prestigious position of deputy superintendent.
“I was hired by Connie in 2000 as an inclusion paraprofessional at Mesquite. After working with special needs students, Connie asked me to take over the library. I was reluctant at first. But she was persistent. I agreed to the change and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I often thank her for seeing that it was a good fit for me. Connie is good at recognizing people’s strengths. Vail will surely miss her,” said Janis Mortensen. Janis and her husband moved to Vail in 1976, where their four children attended Vail schools from kindergarten to graduation. Mrs. Erickson became the planning principal and then principal of Senita Valley Elementary School in 2008 and served in that capacity for eight years. “Connie incorporated the village heart theme in Senita Valley. She let everyone leave a heart print on the school like she has done with all her schools,” said Cristela Cardenas, former Senita Valley teacher and now Rincon Vista Middle School Principal. Connie Erickson will be missed no question about it. But, she still has plenty of wisdom to offer all of us.