Cheers and a round of applause could be heard when Shelly Marks pulled down a blue drape to reveal a plaque dedicating the Willow School playground in her honor.

The unveiling was part of the Willow School open house on Thursday, Sept. 18. The short ceremony brought dozens of teachers, parents and students outside.

Marks stepped down in May as a board member after 32 years of service, 22 years as board president.

Superintendent Scott McAlister said a school board member has many attributes.

“Student centered, committed to public education, listens to people, works well with the board, understands and respects diversity, is an ethical person, a visionary person, Shelly embodies all of those things,” McAlister said. “We were lucky to have her for the past three decades serving the community of Homewood.”

Inside Willow School, parents met with teachers to learn how their student has progressed during the first month of school. Willow School serves pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, first and second graders.

In Barbara Van Etten’s first grade class, students worked on a story together that they got to read aloud for their parents.

Van Etten said it’s a first writing assignment, so her students had to come up with a topic and follow all spelling and grammar rules. It was also their first introduction to the use of a comma.