RCAS to lose its beloved guidance counselor Mrs. Dimick to retirement
by Peter Jakey —
Managing Editor
Rogers City High School guidance counselor Marilyn Dimick’s retirement was announced at Monday’s board of education meeting and that will bring an end to 22 years of steering students in the right direction.
Her last day in the only office she has known at Rogers City Area Schools is July 31. “I’m hoping to be finished by the 28th,” said Dimick, Tuesday morning.
What will happen to all those senior photos that fill a wall behind her desk? The question made her take pause and think for a moment.
“Oh my, they are so special!” said Dimick, taking a deep breath. “I will have a nice little scrapbook that I will take them all and put them in because every one of them have a story and I have been grateful to just be a piece of their journey.” Dimick held up her index finger and thumb with only a half-inch of space between them. Her thoughts then shifted.
“You know, that’s the nice part of being in this position because I can see when they come in, little guys in sixth grade, and get them through to walking across that stage, but then also see their life journey,” she explained. “I have nuclear physicists, doctors, pharmacists, nurses and mechanics. It’s just warms my heart to see that these are all people that perhaps I had just a little piece of their adventure in life.”
For the students who needed extra guidance, she used the PPPP method.
“Pleasantly, progressive, pushy and passionate sometimes,” said Dimick with an unmistakable laugh that echoed off the walls of her small office. “So, I would tell them, you can run but you cannot hide from me, I will find you and we will get this done. Sometimes life gets busy and they forget about things. They are still kids, no matter what and sometimes they just need that little push to say ‘you can do this.’ ”
Former superintendent Kirk B. Louis recommended her hiring at the same meeting he departed. She came from the Port Huron/Fort Gratiot area at the bottom of Lake Huron but knew about the Nautical City from sailing with her husband, Don.
“We had a wonderful sailboat and sailed into Rogers City, which was a quaint little town like I grew up in in The Thumb,” she said. “There was music playing in the band shell that night — it was just a real friendly place.”
Dimick said she has worked with some wonderful people in her two-plus de
“You know, there is always a point where you recognize it is time for a change and a different journey has to begin,” said Dimick. Along with her guidance counselor duties, she was heavily involved in testing and was a leader with Key Club.
“We want to wish Mrs. Dimick well in her well-earned retirement,” said board member Scott Orr Monday night while making the motion to approve it.
“We appreciate her efforts on behalf of the kids,” said board president the Rev. Dr. Greg Zurakowski.
Dimick plans to travel and continue baking, although the students will greatly miss her famous Oreo truffles.