4th Generation Employee Selected as 'Person of the Month' for Hartland Schools

By Hartland Schools

I have worked in the maintenance department for Hartland Consolidated Schools for 30 years. During this time I have earned a 2-year certificate in HVAC from Mott Community College, a Universal refrigerant recovery license, and a Certified pool operator’s license.

Introduction

I have lived in Hartland for most of my life. I lived in Fenton for a few years but moved back to Hartland when my daughters became school age, so they could go to Hartland Schools. I have been married to my wonderful wife, Edie (Miss Edie), for 23 years. Edie is currently an employee at Hartland Community Education’s Childcare program and I’m probably better known as Miss Edie’s husband.

My daughters, Sarah and Holly, are both graduates of Hartland and are attending college at SVSU. Sarah is in her fourth year majoring in occupational therapy and Holly is a freshman, major currently undecided.

My family has a long history with Hartland Schools. My grandmother, mother, several aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews are all graduates of Hartland Schools.

I am a fourth generation employee of Hartland. My great-grandmother was a teacher at a one-room schoolhouse before the consolidation of Hartland Schools, then taught at the “21” Building. My great-grandfather was the caretaker of the school that used to sit where the “51” Building sits today and he used to ring the bell that today is housed in Ore Creek’s library. Mrs. Steinacker, my grandmother, was a teacher at the elementary level for many years in Hartland, and my mother spent her whole career as a secretary here and retired from the high school.

Teenagers were her favorite. My niece, Mandy Mach, is a high school teacher, which makes her a fifth generation “Devitt” employee of Hartland. 

Memories of Hartland Schools

One of the memories that I still enjoy today is working at the elementary schools and watching the kindergartners coming in to school on their first day all wide-eyed and excited, yet a little fearful, with their backpacks that seem to be as big as they are!

It’s the feeling you get when one of them recognizes you and they realize everything is going to be alright. I’m still here because the job is so diverse that everyday there is always something different to work on. I can come to work with a plan and the next thing I know there’s a boiler down, a flood in a room, a rooftop unit not working, or any of a number of things that can go wrong in a day, and there goes the plan.

I also enjoy my interactions with the kids – like when I’m working at day care and all the kids yell out “Mr. Marty” or one will say “Miss Edie, your Dad’s here.” She gets a kick out of that! I’m currently assigned to the HESSC building where I can be working in the preschool room and the kids will ask what I am doing, and then go to the senior center and a senior will share their experience working on what I’m working on.

I could also be working around the Legacy students when sometimes they can have “bad days” but then watch them police themselves when they are around the seniors and the preschool students. Where else can you work and have that kind of diversity in the work you do and the people you work for?

Hartland Schools is an excellent school district. The staff at Hartland Schools helped take my daughters from that frightened little kindergartner to the young adults who are excelling in college today.