BALTIMORE, Md. — After 55 years in the Baltimore City Public School system, Dr. Laura D'Anna got a sendoff she never saw coming.
Friends, family, former students and colleagues packed the American Legion Post #22 on York Road for a retirement party — and D'Anna had no idea it was happening.
"And I'm usually pretty good about sensing something's up," D'Anna said. "When we pulled up, I said, 'This doesn't look like a restaurant!'"
'I'm so touched': Principal gets surprise retirement party after 55 years in Baltimore City Schools
Her friend Tammy Dowell told her they were getting Italian for dinner.
"To fool her into coming out with me to get her here was a task because she never falls for a trick," Dowell said.
Instead, she walked into a room covered in her favorite shade of blue, full of some of her favorite people. She was given a tiara and a sash that read: The legend has retired.
Dozens showed up to celebrate, including her childhood friends from Southwest Baltimore, students and colleagues from her decades in Baltimore City Schools.
"It just says how many lives she's touched over 55 years and the incredible work she's done," Dowell said.
D'Anna has been a principal since 1998, known for telling it like it is.
"She says what she means, and she means what she says; she's very direct. She's lovable," Dowell said.
She spent most of her career in alternative schools for kids in the juvenile detention system.
"I never gave up on anybody; I said, ' No, you can do better than this. To see them all here and tell me what they're doing now," D'Anna said.
Several of her students came up to her to let her know they've made something of themselves, thanks to her guidance.
The last school she led was Eager Street Academy; students there wrote her a letter, which was read aloud at the party.
"Our time together has come to an end. But we will love you until the end. Our dear beloved friend, we wish you the best," the letter said.
Former students also raised a toast in her honor. D'Anna admitted she had wondered whether anyone would recognize her contributions.
"I said nobody really cares, and I just felt so alone," D'Anna said. "And I always say, let the work that I have done speak for me."
For anyone who has stumbled in life, D'Anna offered this advice:
"You feel like, okay, what did I do wrong, where did I go wrong, what can I do better? And you go back with a vengeance; you never ever give up," D'Anna said.
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