Pau-Wa-Lu principal retires after 32 years

A counselor popped his head into Principal Robbin Pedrett's office to tell her there was a broken pipe in the roof and that water was leaking down into the classrooms in C pod.

"At least it's not mercury," Pedrett said.

It was the afternoon before the last day of school and Pau-Wa-Lu Middle School students were gone for the day but teachers and counselors were still at work finishing the school's fall schedule. The students will continue school in the fall but Pedrett is retiring after her 32-year career with the Douglas County School District.

A water leak and the potential for having to close on the last of school didn't seem daunting to Pedrett after the seriousness of the mercury spill that closed Pau-Wa-Lu for nearly three weeks in January 2004 until the clean up was completed.

"After Columbine (in 1999), we did a lot of training, like 'Duct Tape Your Door Day,'" Pedrett said. "So when we had the mercury spill, we were OK with that, but we didn't think about the phone issue - how do you contact the parents of 850 students with four phone lines?"

Because of what happened at Pau-Wa-Lu, a phone system was developed for the school district. Other details were worked out for the future, such as what to do when 850 students are locked in classrooms for hours and need restroom breaks.

"That's what I like about my job - we're united as a family in an environment of problem solving," said Pedrett. "I love our staff. They're young and energetic and never say 'no.' Everybody works on all cylinders all the time - I'm going to miss that."

Pedrett's last day is today and she will be sleeping in Saturday morning. She said she's put herself at the end of the list of things to do for years and wants to put her family and health back at the top of the list.

"This is going to be my first summer vacation in eight years," she said. "The first thing is to reorganize my house and yard. I planted a garden. I've put off doing a lot of things until I have time to do them well.

"I'm not through but I came to a point in my life where I want to take care of my family - they're the most important people."

Pedrett, 53, is a third-generation native of Carson Valley. Her brother Steven White runs the family dairy on Waterloo Lane. Husband Chris Pedrett owns RNV Swine Farm/Genetics and together the Pedretts have two sons: Russell, 23, an animal science major at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, has the goal to improve swine breeding stock and Charlie, 19, who is taking deaf education studies at Western Nevada College.

Pedrett graduated from Douglas High School in 1971 and lettered in basketball, volleyball and softball at the University of Nevada, Reno.

"I was a PE person before you had girls' sports and no girls' teams," she said about the days before the implementation of the Title IX Education Amendments of 1972 that prohibited discrimination in educational activities, including sports.

"I wanted to open sports to women," she said. "My first job was at Churchill County High School where I was considered a women's libber."

Pedrett made school officials aware that her varsity girls' basketball team had the same rights to practice and use school facilities as the boys' team.

"They realized that I was asking for what was due, not for special treatment," she said. "My idea in teaching was to try to improve things there, at Douglas, Whittell and here."

Pedrett taught and coached sports in Fallon for five years, at Whittell and Douglas high schools and came to Pau-Wa-Lu in 1994. She went from teacher to vice principal to principal in the course of the 1999-2000 school year.

"As a principal, I'm responsible for people's livelihood, job enjoyment and children's education. It's difficult to do it all well. Kids get only one chance to get a free education," she said.

"I took my job seriously and didn't sleep for the past three years. I do my best thinking about 3 a.m. My mind doesn't stop - I think, 'How can I do it better?'"

Pedrett said this wasn't going to be a fishing and traveling retirement.

"I don't expect to just retire," she said. "I have talents and skills to get another job but something less stressful. Something where I can be a solid worker."