RINCON — Nearly 200 new Effingham County School District employees were provided high-octane verbal fuel to help them get off to a successful start to a rewarding career.

Dr. Torian White, the new principal at South Effingham High School, addressed the receptive group at Effingham College & Career Academy on July 30.

“Repeat after me,” White said at the energetic opening of his remarks. “ECSD is a great place to be.”

At White’s behest, the new teachers and staffers parroted the phrase a few times before White dove into the substance of his speech.

He said, “Maya Angelou wrote, ‘I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.’”

White continued, “How do you know that ECSD is a great place to be? First, the quality of the school district is inextricably linked to the quality of its personnel. The outstanding reputation that ECSD has sustained for many years is a direct reflection of the teacher, the leader and the support staff members that give their best to the boys and girls of our community. 

“Therefore, ECSD is a great place to be because of the great people who give of themselves daily within your school new school system. And because you have been hired here, ladies and gentlemen, that makes you a part of our family.

“Secondly, I know that ESCD is a great place to be because I experienced the educational excellence firsthand as a student in the late eighties and all of the nineties.”

White is a proud product of the district, having graduated as South Effingham’s valedictorian in 1999. He asked audience members to raise their hands if they, too, attended Effingham County schools. At least half of them did.

Then White asked those who had no previous connection to the district to raise their hands.

“We are all one now,” he said. “Regardless of where you have come, you are bringing your journey with you — and the lessons from your journey — so I invite you to use those with our students.”

White’s message took a personal turn.

“I can still vividly recall the positive experiences of committed, connected educators during my K-12 learning experience,” he said. “As I look back and I remember the K-12 portion of my journey, I see the names of an amazing cadre of educators ...”

White then mentioned many of the educators he credits for his success.

“I speak their names today to pay homage and offer thanks to them for being the outstanding educators that they were,” he said. “Just as you are about to give of yourselves to our students, they gave to me.”

White, the son of the Rev. Delmons and Herlene White, had extra words of gratitude for Connie Carter, a teacher who spurred him into the education field.

“I believe she was purposefully assigned to help me discover the teacher within that little boy in the fourth grade — the preacher’s kid from Rincon,” White said. “I’m not talking about Rincon with the Starbucks and Chick-fil-A. I’m talking about Rincon of yesteryear ...”

White that he encouraged the new teachers to follow a pattern Carter established.

“She allowed me to see something in myself that I didn’t see,” he said. “She nurtured that passion as I was trying to explain math and long division. She allowed me to get up in front of the class and teach math, and I became a math teacher.”

White encouraged the teachers to remain positive and vigilant in their efforts to connect with students.

“Recognize that your keen awareness of a child’s gifts and talents could be the fuel to the fire that sets them on the course of their life’s purpose,” he said. “Recognize that your high fives, your ‘at-a-boys,’ your smile and your hallway check could be the difference between a good day for them and a bad day.”

White reminded the teachers that they will be supported by district leaders.

“I encourage you to know that your gifts are needed, your gifts are wanted and your gifts will be cultivated,” he said. “There is something in your journey thus far that will connect to the journey of another child, a parent, a grandparent, a foster parent or a guardian that’s in your path. I guarantee you that by Labor Day you will find a child on your roster or within your building that will challenge you in unexpected ways.

“Well, probably before then, but that is only a signal that he or she needs your light for their darkness. He or she needs your sunshine for their cloudy days. They need you to look them in the face and unapologetically urge them to step up their game.

“So when that child challenges you and proceeds to stomp on your last nerve, remember the advice from Rita Pierson — every child deserves a champion.”