As the principal of Little Cypress-Mauriceville High School, Dr. Terri Estes is getting to accomplish many things she has hoped for over the years and has recently been honored for her hard work and dedication.

During the regular October meeting, the Little Cypress-Mauriceville Board of Trustees recognized Estes and the other principals from each campus in District Six for Principal Appreciation Month.

“It is wonderful to be recognized by the board,” Estes said. “It means the world to me to have their support.”

Before her career in education began, Estes received a degree in Biology and worked for a company that sold laboratory equipment to the chemical plants and companies in the Houston area. She taught others how to use the equipment and there, she discovered her love for teaching.

“I decided that I would be much happier teaching than working as a salesman,” Estes said.

She began her new career by teaching Biology and IPC at J. Frank Dobie High School in Pasadena and when she and her family moved to Little Cypress, began teaching science at Mauriceville Middle School.

“That was fun,” Estes said. “I taught all of the eighth grade science classes and some seventh grade sections too. When a Chemistry job came open at LCM High School, I moved to the high school campus. I taught chemistry and biology for LCM High School for six years.”

Estes said after many years in the classroom, she further decided that teaching wasn’t a big enough challenge for her and she enjoyed the challenges administrative tasks brought on.

“I really liked working to develop new classes or find ways to make our curriculum better,” Estes said.

According to Estes, who is currently in her eighth year as principal at LCM, seeing the students succeed motivates her to work hard and provide anything that they need to continue their success. She said she is excited about LCM’s recent STEM designation and the new opportunities that it provides.

“I truly want LCM High School to be the best high school in the state of Texas and we are well on our way,” Estes said.

As a principal, there is no set schedule or regular day, so each day is something new for Estes.

“That is one thing that I like most about the job,” she said. “There is always something new going on. Sports seasons are exciting, academic UIL has been a blast, new classes to think about, and there is never a dull day with over a thousand teenagers on campus. There are times when I have meetings with parents or committees and my day may have more structure, but for the most part each day is different from the next. It is fun.”

Estes said the one thing that is always constant is the fact that she wants to do what is best for the students, teachers, and the staff of LCM. As a principal, sometimes the decisions she has to make are not easy and Estes said people are not always happy with her.

“Even in those situations I work hard to do what I believe is best for them and for the campus as a whole,” Estes said.

This avid sports fan, who especially enjoys watching the Aggies, also said she loves being a part of the lives of so many students and teachers and that it is fun watching students grow up and succeed on the playing field and in the classroom.

“Many of my former students check in with me on occasion,” Estes said. “It is great to see how they have grown and what they are accomplishing now.”

Estes also notes that the teachers she works with teach because they love kids and they love learning and that is one of her favorite parts of being principal.

“They are just great people to know and to work with,” she said. “I could not think of another job where you get to be around so many wonderful people.”

Estes said she struggles to name her most unforgettable moment at LCM, since there have been so many throughout the years – some sad and others happy.

“Some memories are about big things that happened to us all…like hurricanes…and flooding…and construction,” she said. “Some memories are joyous. We have had students excel in sports and academics. We have had students struggle and work to pass the End of Course test and we have all celebrated when they accomplished that goal. We have had big wins on the field, court, stage, and classroom. I have lots of wonderful memories. What I really try to do is enjoy today. Every day there is something to be thankful for.”