In a 30-year career filled with profound joy, sadness, challenges and successes, Lake City High School Principal Deanne Clifford pinpointed one moment that outshined the rest: 2011 graduation.

She was on the stage preparing for her next emcee task when the valedictorian, Mark Smyly, asked her up to present her with a gift.

“This plaque right here is the epitome of just what a first-year principal would want,” Clifford said during a May 9 interview in her office, taking down a gleaming plaque from her wall. The plaque is engraved with the appreciation the Class of 2011 felt for their principal for her leadership, expertise and dedication in making their school so successful.

"I was in awe of the room, in awe of the students," Clifford said. "We had prepared so much for graduation, and I was just overwhelmed with emotion. And then to be celebrated, it was the epitome of my career. And I’ve had some incredible moments. This was something that I’ll never, never forget."

Clifford, 62, will retire in July after 29 years at Lake City, where she started as a counseling secretary in August 1995. A couple of months later, then-principal John Brumley moved her to bookkeeper because of her accounting background.

"That’s when I went back to school to be a teacher,” she said.

Clifford spent one year teaching math at Post Falls High School but returned to Lake City after feeling pulled back. While teaching, she was the student council adviser and the International Baccalaureate diploma coordinator.

Clifford became assistant principal in 2007, then soon moved into the role of principal. Her first year was a trying one as her sister passed away from breast cancer on her first day with staff.

"Her funeral was the first day of school on my first day as principal," she said.

Breast cancer also came for Clifford a couple of years ago.

“I fought it off," she said. "I was really, really determined to fully treat because of my sister. She saved my life.”

Also that year, two Lake City students completed suicide.

"I probably experienced what most principals would experience over the course of their career in one year," Clifford said. "It was a lot.”

The highs and lows of her early years only strengthened her connection to the students and to the school. She said while every school has its own unique feel and strength, her school's strength is the commitment its family members have to one another.

"It is a family feel," Clifford said. "It started with John Brumley, who built this school. I am so grateful I had that mentoring. I learned that as long as families and students and teachers feel supported and safe and connected, you’re going to have half the battle."

In a May 14 phone call, Brumley said Clifford's story is unique in how she started as a secretary, then became a teacher and ultimately the principal.

"It really speaks to her ambition, the way she thinks about things and the tenacity she has," he said. "She's an incredible person, and I'm very proud of her. We worked together for many years."

He also noted how special it is that Lake City has only had two principals: himself and Clifford.

As the school year winds down, Clifford is feeling mixed about retirement.

"I’m going to miss people very much," she said. "Lake City High School students are amazing; it goes without saying, they show themselves in our community. The staff and the admin team are just the best in the business, and I am going to miss that day-to-day relationship piece. We have a lot of fun because we have to because it's very high stress.”

She said she will miss the students, and they will miss her, but they will graduate together. 

Clifford said she has complete faith in Assistant Principal Bryan Kelly, who will assume the role of principal after her departure.

When asked what wisdom she has for him, she said it is not easy to be the decision maker. 

"What I have done is surround myself with highly professional, skilled teacher-leaders and administrators," she said. "Trust in their input but always go with what you know to be the right decision. As long as he bases his decisions on what he knows is right, he is going to soar because he's an excellent leader."

Lake City Senior Class President Luke Neary said it's bittersweet that Clifford is retiring.

"I think she's definitely ready to move on and the new principal, BK, he's a good family friend of mine, and he's going to do great," Neary said. "He's a super cool guy and I think this school is going to be really good under him. He's going to have a lot on his plate, but he's up to the challenge."

For Clifford, retirement will include actually taking a couple months off.

"People think we get time off in the summer, but you have to schedule time off in the summer and I just never seemed to be able to take more than two weeks off," she said.

She'll be spending time with grandbabies she adores. She plans to work with pre-service educators and administrators, and she is looking forward to working with a high school accreditation agency. She also plans to finally get back to writing that novel she's three chapters into writing after 12 years and enjoying adventures on the water with her husband, Bruce Clifford.

"He fishes and I exercise, so I paddle (the kayak) up and down Lake Pend Oreille," she said. "You'll see me every morning there."

    Principal Deanne Clifford shares stories of her 29 years at Lake City High School — 15 of which as principal — while looking over photos by her desk May 9.
  

    Lake City High School Principal Deanne Clifford and ASB President Rowen Lair chat for a moment May 9 during a stroll through the hallways. Clifford will retire after the end of this school year following a 30-year career in education.
  

    Lake City High Principal Deanne Clifford proudly points to a photo of her football-star son, Doug Blaty, in the school trophy case May 9. Blaty is now a doctor.
  

    The Class of 2011 presented Lake City Principal Deanne Clifford with this plaque, which she said was the epitome of her career.