Sue Ann Blalock is often “the first face you see” in the central office.
Born and raised in Oglethorpe County, she has spent her entire 26-year career with the county schools, currently serving as Superintendent Beverley Levine’s assistant.
Defining herself as the “how to the wow,” Blalock approaches every task with energy and intention. Whether she’s helping new teachers settle in or answering a parent’s phone call, her goal has always been the same.
Blalock sat down to reflect on her time in the role, the people she has met and the legacy she hopes to leave.
Comments have been edited for length and clarity.
Q: What brought you to the Oglethorpe County School System?
A: In 1998, I was driving a bus. I had applied for a parapro (position) because back then, they let you do both, and my kids were starting school. Ms. Levine, at the time, was the (middle school) assistant principal and here comes Ms. Levine the next day to the school bus and said, “I think I have something else.” It was working with eighth-graders and special ed. I would follow them from class to class and help with them. I did that for at least 10 years. She then became the principal, and then I became her secretary. Then, when she left the middle school to be the superintendent, she brought me with her. So, I'm finishing up my 26th year with her.
Q: How has your role evolved over the years and how has the school system changed along with that?
A: When we were at the middle school, Ms. Levine implemented PLC, which made every teacher teach the same thing, grade the same way. So I’ve watched the school system grow under her leadership. I mean, it’s been unbelievable how she's placed people in different roles, and my kids got a great education here, so I’ve just watched it grow under her.
Q: What does a typical day look like for you in the office?
A: I greet everybody that comes through that door. I’m the first face they see, and typically we’re taking care of new hires, getting ready for board meetings, whatever meetings Ms. Levine’s gonna have that day. I help everybody in the office, whatever they need. I’m that person to make phone calls, whatever.
Q: Are there any moments or specific projects that stand out to you as especially meaningful?
A: When COVID hit. Me and Ms. Levine, in her personal car, delivered meals that were left over to all the apartment complexes here. The elderly complex, we fed all of those people. We rode down each and every road in Oglethorpe County, and we had certain places that asked us to come back every day. I got to see the giving side, which I’m giving too, so that worked well. But we would load up her car and we would go from house to house, delivering food to make sure the elderly and the less fortunate had food. I was like, “How did we survive?” We did it in her car, and they would know her car, and they’d come running out.
Q: How have your relationships with staff, students and the community impacted you?
A: I’ve made a lot of great friends. I have watched myself grow so much under Ms. Levine, and I just feel so blessed to still be in the community that I was born and raised in. I’m very grounded. I don’t feel like I’ve missed out on a lot, and I was able to watch my children. I was at everything. She always lets us go. I’m blessed to still be a part of a community that cares. It doesn’t matter what the task is, everybody comes together. All I have to do is pick up the phone and they are like, “Yeah, what can I do? What do you need?”
Q: What’s one memory from your time here that makes you smile every time you think about it?
A: I would say going into the schools and watching the kids light up when they see (Levine) and run up to her and give her hugs and me hugs. Just the fact that we are small, so therefore we’re like a family, and people are just so complimentary of everything. I always feel welcome in the schools and in the district.
Q: What are you most proud of in your career with the school district?
A: I am most proud of the fact that I can get up every day and come to a job that I love doing. I love serving people, helping others, just serving the community that I grew up in.
Q: What advice would you give someone starting out in a school support role like yours?
A: To take it day by day. Everybody’s not gonna be happy with you on the outside. Stop. Listen to them. Come up with a solution, but don’t take their frustration to heart every time, because that’s their baby, and they’re gonna fight for their baby just like I would fight for mine. So you gotta go in with, that is somebody’s baby, and you have to listen to them, listen to their concerns, and try to come up with a solution that fits us all. If you’re going to come into this role, you must love people, and you must love serving people, because there’s something every day.
Q: If you could give one message to the people of Oglethorpe County School System, what would it be?
A: Don’t forget why you’re here. You’re here for the kids. Don’t lose focus on that. And stay family-oriented. Stay a family-oriented community.