Three staffers are retiring from Southfield High: Vocal Music teacher Irma Street, counselor Deborah Dion and librarian Bruce Hermes.

Between the three retirees, they have more than 100 years of experience in education.

Street, whose choir students over the years have won numerous accolades under her direction, was named Teacher of the Year in 2001. Two of her ensembles were chosen to perform at the Michigan Youth Arts Festival.

She says she plans to punctuate her 33-year teaching career with a move to Montgomery, Ala., which is close to where she grew up. “I’ve got to stay involved in music,” she says. So she intends to sing with local choirs and accompany at some of the colleges.

Dion has worked for 32 and a half years. That includes 23 years at SHS and several at Southfield-Lathrup.

When asked which she prefers between SHS and rival Lathrup, she answered, “I prefer Southfield High.”

At SHS, she worked as a counselor for the past 10 years. Before working as a counselor, she was a social studies teacher.

After retiring, Dion says she plans to continue working at Oakland Community College where she is also a counselor. She also plans to travel to Australia and New Zealand this summer.

Librarian Hermes has been shelving books and assisting student researchers for 33 years. His career chapters include stints as a librarian at Brace Lederle Elementary School and as a math teacher at Brace Lederle Middle School, Thompson Middle School and Levey Middle School.

For the last 15 years, Hermes has been a librarian at Southfield High. He not only works in the SHS library, but also does work for all the school libraries in the district.

Hermes says he has “mixed emotions” about leaving SHS. He says he is ready to do something else, but will miss Southfield High.