East Central HS Principal Suddenly Retires After 34-Year Career

By Mike Perleberg File photo (St. Leon, Ind.) – Less than one week into the school year, East Central High School is without a principal. Principal Bev Ester retired as the school’s principal on Friday, August 11, according to Sunman-Dearborn Community School Corporation Superintendent Dr. Andrew Jackson. An email sent to parents by Jackson on Monday stated that Ester retired effective immediately. “In the next few days, a decision will be made regarding the remainder of the school year. An announcement will be made soon,” Jackson wrote. Eagle Country 99.3 reached Ester by phone on Tuesday. She says she decided that it was time to dedicate her life to her family. “I’m due to have a grandbaby any day. My daughter does not have a babysitter and I just think it’s time for me to focus on my own children for a change in my life,” Ester said. It will be her first grandchild. Upon turning 55, Ester says she and her husband began to look at retirement. She admits the timing of her retirement wasn’t great. “I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of my 34 years in education. The staff and students and community at East Central High School are fantastic. I can’t say enough great things about what those people over there do and what they’re trying to do and the community there is there. I wish them nothing but the best,” she says. Ester had been promoted to East Central's principal for the 2016-17 school year. She was previously an assistant principal and a guidance counselor. Ester also spent 23 years teaching at the Southeastern Career Center and had a three-year stint as an assistant principal at South Ripley High School before coming to East Central in 2010. The search for a new ECHS principal will begin in December, and a new principal will be announced in the spring, Jackson said in his email. He noted that all staff at the school are committed to a seamless transition and providing a quality educational experience.