A tree dedication ceremony was held at Valley View Elementary school on Friday in honor of former principal Donnie Poston, pictured here with his family.

By Charlotte Underwood

LAFOLLETTE, TN (WLAF) – A tree dedication ceremony was held  at Valley View Elementary School on Friday. The Red Oak tree was dedicated to former Valley View Principal Donnie Poston. Poston, also a former director of schools, has been an integral part of the county’s education system over the last 50 years, impacting students and teachers alike.

First District School Board member Jeffrey Miller organized the planting and dedication in honor of Poston, who served as principal at the school for 19 years. 

According to Miller, last summer one of the “lovely old maple” trees in front of the school had to be removed for safety purposes due to rot. After the tree was removed, the area looked “too bare.” 

Miller said he and school principal Jason Dotson were always looking for ways to improve the school, so when Miller suggested planting a new tree in Poston’s honor, the principal was in full support. 

Miller said he wanted to have the tree dedicated to Poston because of his many years of service to the school and that Poston had always been a “role model” for him and an “outstanding community leader.” Miller also had artist Gale Hinton do an artistic rendering of Poston on a plaque, that Poston was then able to take home. 

 A Red Oak tree was dedicated in honor of former principal Donnie Poston at Valley View Elementary on Friday. First District School Board member Jeffrey Miller (left) organized the planting and dedication of the tree for Poston.

A bit of subterfuge was needed to have the tree dedication be a surprise for Poston. Miller enlisted the help of Poston’s wife and son, who told him he had been asked to pray at a fictitious dedication of the school’s new playground. 

Poston’s first reaction was a good natured “Can’t they get anybody to pray over there?”  He was told they couldn’t and that he needed to be at the school at 12:30 to pray, so of course he agreed. He said the tree dedication took him completely by surprise and that he was “honored and truly touched” by it. 

Poston attended school at Valley View when he was a boy and recalled fond memories of playing under the old Maple trees and hiding and “smoking sage grass,” as well as trying to identify what make and model of car or truck was approaching on the highway in front of the school. He said his third grade teacher saw the Maple trees planted when she was young. 

County Commissioner Robert Higginbotham’s two children attended Valley View Elementary School. Higginbotham was on hand for the ceremony for Donnie Poston.

“This is still my home. I can’t get away from the importance of one more child. I don’t see a retirement and what I mean by that is, I may go to the house, but I can’t see a place where you quit serving people, especially serving kids. We used to have that, and you can still see it in the halls in there, ‘Today is the best day of my life and tomorrow is even better’ – that’s what we got to do for every single child, whether we’re 90 or just getting out of college… What do we leave? We’ve got to leave a testimony and a legacy, that’s it. What’s left behind is what’s going to count,” Poston said. 

Poston served as principal at Valley View from 1975 until 1994. He was 25- years- old and had been at Pinecrest School. 

“When they told me I had to come be principal, I didn’t want to come and then in 1994 they moved me to administration, I didn’t want to leave Valley View…it still feels like home,” Poston said. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 10/25/2021-6AM)

2 Replies to “Tree dedication ceremony held at Valley View”

  1. NO FINER PERSON THAN DONNIE POSTON….I AM SO GLAD THAT THIS DEDICATION ON A TREE WAS PLANTED FOR HIM….I HAVE KNOW DONNIE AND KATHY FOR A VERY LONG TIME…I REMEMBER WHEN THEY STARTED DATING…KATHY WAS A MEMBER OF THE YOUNG PEOPLE’S CHOIR AT FIRST INDEPENDENT BAPTIST CHURCH…THEY BOTH ARE HARD WORKERS AND HAVE EARNED A LOT OF RESPECT FROM A LOT OF STUDENTS, TEACHERS, FELLOW WORKERS, AND THE PEOPLE…HIS FAMILY WAS RAISED IN A CHRISTIAN HOME WITH CHRISTIAN VALUES….LOVE THEM BOTH VERY MUCH…PLUS HE IS A GREAT PIANIST AND SINGER FOR OUR LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST….THEY HAVE BOTH HONORED JESUS WITH THEIR LIFE…..

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