Scott Simmons is pictured with his wife Cindy, daughter Kristin Wykoski and grandchildren from left Eli, Lucy & Charlie Wykoski (JP Wykoski is missing) at a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction project at the elementary school.
Scott Simmons retires from C-S Schools
as maintenance supervisor
as maintenance supervisor
By Kristin Wykoski
Scott Simmons already went through the retirement party, goodbyes and farewells from his lifelong career – in 2015 he retired from James E. Fulton Excavating as a foreman. He wanted to “slow down” by taking the Climax-Scotts Community Schools maintenance director position that Jim Wade and Steve Yerby, two other longtime C-S employees, had left—with big shoes to fill.
Now, Simmons is really going to slow down when he retires later this month after working 10 years for the local school district.
His official last day is September 1, however he will be done August 27.
“I am going to miss Climax-Scotts a tremendous amount. I’ve enjoyed the 10 years of service to the school,” said Simmons.
The C-S School District provided the following statement about Simmons:
“For the past 10 years, Scott Simmons has served as the Maintenance Director for Climax-Scotts Community Schools, and he has been a truly treasured member of our Panther Family.
“Scott’s vast mechanical and construction expertise, combined with his genuine passion for the district, has been invaluable in keeping our schools running
smoothly. He has been instrumental in the success of our recent bond projects, applying his meticulous attention to detail to ensure that each construction phase was completed with excellence and aligned with the district’s needs.
“Beyond his technical skills, Scott is known for his big heart — often taking time out of his busy day to help students with locker challenges or to simply brighten the day of staff and students alike. He has done an outstanding job caring for and maintaining our facilities, always considering how each decision impacts the rest of the team.
“His dedication, kindness, and teamwork have left a lasting mark on our district. While we will miss Scott dearly, we are excited for him as he begins his well-earned retirement. Thank you, Scott, for your years of service, your commitment to excellence, and your Panther pride.”
Simmons said in his retirement he plans to spend extra time with grandchildren and family, along with a significant amount of time in northern Michigan at a new family cabin in Traverse City.
He adds he and his wife Cindy may travel some and he will likely spend some time at the Dig In Cafe’ in Augusta he and Cindy owns and Cindy operates.
“I look forward to maybe spending a little time golfing and helping out here and there,” said Simmons.
He worked hard to fill the shoes of Wade and Yerby. Thankfully, Wade helped make the transition much easier by helping the first few months after Simmons took on the position.
Simmons’ roots in the area and ties to the C-S School District go deep.
He is a 3rd generation 1979 graduate of Climax-Scotts schools and has never known anything other than C-S schools, values, community & culture.
Simmons’ dad and grandparents graduated from Scotts School, before there was a Climax-Scotts Community Schools. All four of Simmons’ children went to C-S and now the 5th generation, Simmons’ grandchildren, are enrolled in the C-S School District. So, when Simmons started telling his family about his decision to leave his career at James E. Fulton Excavating to work at the school, it always just felt like that’s where he belonged. C-S is just a way of life for the Simmons family.
When Simmons started with C-S back in 2015, he was welcomed with open arms by the school board (which he used to serve on from 2000- 2009),
administration, staff and students. And of course, when his grandkids got a chance to see him in their hallways, it was the highlight of their day. Everyone in the elementary, then ultimately the high school, knew that Simmons was also known as “Bapa” to the Wykoski kids.
If you were to ask Simmons what a “standout” moment was in the last decade at C-S, he says, “When I came on at C-S, I told Doug (Mr. Newington, superintendent) that the first thing we needed were new parking lots because we were going to lose cars in the holes if we didn’t.” Well – fast forward to 2018, a bond proposal and passing later and the parking lots, auxiliary gym at the high school, and interior of both schools were completed. Then an extension of the same bond birthed the beautiful baseball & softball fields, interior of the elementary with the addition of added security at the main entrance, a beautiful new gym and extension of the lower elementary classrooms.
But, interestingly enough, Simmons’ “construction” work in the school system goes back a bit further than you might expect.
Back in 2001, when the track was transformed from a dirt track to an asphalt track, Simmons’ company at the time (Fulton Excavating) was hired to do the contracting work for the construction of the track and Simmons was foreman of the job. If there has been construction going on at C-S since the 2000’s, more than likely, Simmons has had his hand (or shovel) in there somewhere.
While dirt and building transformations have taken up a lot of his tenure at C-S, let’s face it, Simmons’ heart has always been with the students. If you were to ask any 6th grader what Simmons does for a living, they would probably tell you that he helps the 6th graders with their locks on their lockers and harps on them about cleaning their lockers out. The job title “Maintenance Supervisor” for Simmons included mostly: countless cleanups, fixing all of the dripping sinks, unlocking all of the doors, fixing all of the broken vacuums, ALL of the alarm system calls on the weekends, senior prank cleanups, Friday night football game cleanups…. He’s been there for it and more.
A past C-S High School student, Olivia Verile recently said, “By far, one of the best influences (for me) in Climax. From the struggles to opening a locker to just having someone to talk to!! Thank you Mr. Simmons for everything you did, and do for everyone!”
Over the last decade, Simmons’ family has loved seeing their husband, dad, and grandpa happier than he has been in his entire working career while working at C-S. He doesn’t talk about the school system without getting a little choked up, and they all know it’s honestly because he’s going to be leaving a little piece of his heart with everyone at C-S when he leaves.
Thankfully, there won’t be much keeping him away from being at C-S – but instead of cleaning up after the games on Friday nights, he’ll just be a proud grandpa in the stands, watching his grandkids on the fields and stages in their various activities.
Happy Retirement, Bapa. You sure earned this one! You are loved and appreciated by this community more than you’ll ever know!
Scott Simmons already went through the retirement party, goodbyes and farewells from his lifelong career – in 2015 he retired from James E. Fulton Excavating as a foreman. He wanted to “slow down” by taking the Climax-Scotts Community Schools maintenance director position that Jim Wade and Steve Yerby, two other longtime C-S employees, had left—with big shoes to fill.
Now, Simmons is really going to slow down when he retires later this month after working 10 years for the local school district.
His official last day is September 1, however he will be done August 27.
“I am going to miss Climax-Scotts a tremendous amount. I’ve enjoyed the 10 years of service to the school,” said Simmons.
The C-S School District provided the following statement about Simmons:
“For the past 10 years, Scott Simmons has served as the Maintenance Director for Climax-Scotts Community Schools, and he has been a truly treasured member of our Panther Family.
“Scott’s vast mechanical and construction expertise, combined with his genuine passion for the district, has been invaluable in keeping our schools running
smoothly. He has been instrumental in the success of our recent bond projects, applying his meticulous attention to detail to ensure that each construction phase was completed with excellence and aligned with the district’s needs.
“Beyond his technical skills, Scott is known for his big heart — often taking time out of his busy day to help students with locker challenges or to simply brighten the day of staff and students alike. He has done an outstanding job caring for and maintaining our facilities, always considering how each decision impacts the rest of the team.
“His dedication, kindness, and teamwork have left a lasting mark on our district. While we will miss Scott dearly, we are excited for him as he begins his well-earned retirement. Thank you, Scott, for your years of service, your commitment to excellence, and your Panther pride.”
Simmons said in his retirement he plans to spend extra time with grandchildren and family, along with a significant amount of time in northern Michigan at a new family cabin in Traverse City.
He adds he and his wife Cindy may travel some and he will likely spend some time at the Dig In Cafe’ in Augusta he and Cindy owns and Cindy operates.
“I look forward to maybe spending a little time golfing and helping out here and there,” said Simmons.
He worked hard to fill the shoes of Wade and Yerby. Thankfully, Wade helped make the transition much easier by helping the first few months after Simmons took on the position.
Simmons’ roots in the area and ties to the C-S School District go deep.
He is a 3rd generation 1979 graduate of Climax-Scotts schools and has never known anything other than C-S schools, values, community & culture.
Simmons’ dad and grandparents graduated from Scotts School, before there was a Climax-Scotts Community Schools. All four of Simmons’ children went to C-S and now the 5th generation, Simmons’ grandchildren, are enrolled in the C-S School District. So, when Simmons started telling his family about his decision to leave his career at James E. Fulton Excavating to work at the school, it always just felt like that’s where he belonged. C-S is just a way of life for the Simmons family.
When Simmons started with C-S back in 2015, he was welcomed with open arms by the school board (which he used to serve on from 2000- 2009),
administration, staff and students. And of course, when his grandkids got a chance to see him in their hallways, it was the highlight of their day. Everyone in the elementary, then ultimately the high school, knew that Simmons was also known as “Bapa” to the Wykoski kids.
If you were to ask Simmons what a “standout” moment was in the last decade at C-S, he says, “When I came on at C-S, I told Doug (Mr. Newington, superintendent) that the first thing we needed were new parking lots because we were going to lose cars in the holes if we didn’t.” Well – fast forward to 2018, a bond proposal and passing later and the parking lots, auxiliary gym at the high school, and interior of both schools were completed. Then an extension of the same bond birthed the beautiful baseball & softball fields, interior of the elementary with the addition of added security at the main entrance, a beautiful new gym and extension of the lower elementary classrooms.
But, interestingly enough, Simmons’ “construction” work in the school system goes back a bit further than you might expect.
Back in 2001, when the track was transformed from a dirt track to an asphalt track, Simmons’ company at the time (Fulton Excavating) was hired to do the contracting work for the construction of the track and Simmons was foreman of the job. If there has been construction going on at C-S since the 2000’s, more than likely, Simmons has had his hand (or shovel) in there somewhere.
While dirt and building transformations have taken up a lot of his tenure at C-S, let’s face it, Simmons’ heart has always been with the students. If you were to ask any 6th grader what Simmons does for a living, they would probably tell you that he helps the 6th graders with their locks on their lockers and harps on them about cleaning their lockers out. The job title “Maintenance Supervisor” for Simmons included mostly: countless cleanups, fixing all of the dripping sinks, unlocking all of the doors, fixing all of the broken vacuums, ALL of the alarm system calls on the weekends, senior prank cleanups, Friday night football game cleanups…. He’s been there for it and more.
A past C-S High School student, Olivia Verile recently said, “By far, one of the best influences (for me) in Climax. From the struggles to opening a locker to just having someone to talk to!! Thank you Mr. Simmons for everything you did, and do for everyone!”
Over the last decade, Simmons’ family has loved seeing their husband, dad, and grandpa happier than he has been in his entire working career while working at C-S. He doesn’t talk about the school system without getting a little choked up, and they all know it’s honestly because he’s going to be leaving a little piece of his heart with everyone at C-S when he leaves.
Thankfully, there won’t be much keeping him away from being at C-S – but instead of cleaning up after the games on Friday nights, he’ll just be a proud grandpa in the stands, watching his grandkids on the fields and stages in their various activities.
Happy Retirement, Bapa. You sure earned this one! You are loved and appreciated by this community more than you’ll ever know!
––––––––––––––––––––
Subscribe to the Legal News!
https://legalnews.com/Home/Subscription
Full access to public notices, articles, columns, archives, statistics, calendar and more
Day Pass Only $4.95!
One-County $80/year
Three-County & Full Pass also available
