Some say it is her love for children. Others believe it is her compassion for learning and education. Still, others think it is her understanding of teaching that causes her to do what she does for the students of Hazel Grove Elementary (HGE). For the students, teachers, and staff, she is an angel on Earth.
For Mrs. Merry Carol Scott (lovingly called Mrs. Merry Carol by those at HGE), it is simply her love for people. “When I was a little girl, I remember asking my teacher for worksheets on the last day of school. Everything for me was about learning,” she said. “My teacher told me summers were for playing and resting. I made summers about learning.”
Her home is across the street from Hazel Grove Elementary School on Dicks Hill Parkway in Mt. Airy, Georgia.
“Seventeen years ago, I was battling cancer. The playground back then was in front of the school, and I would be struggling with sickness but hear the children laughing, and it made a difference for me,” Mrs. Merry Carol added. “I learned their names listening to them play. They became such a part of my life.”
Merry is a Double Dawg graduate of the University of Georgia, earning an Undergraduate and master’s degree in Family Consumer Science. She has taught at many different grade levels. “I love the smell of sharpened pencils and crayons, but also from years at Stephens County High School, cologne, and chewing gum too. I’ve always loved teaching.”
She loves teaching so much that she became a long-term substitute teacher at Hazel Grove.
Shana Tanksley of Hazel Grove talked about how valuable Mrs. Merry Carol has been for the teachers and students, “She walks over with her little red wagon filled with gifts for our teachers and students. It means a lot to all of us.”
Last year, Merry bought t-shirts for all the faculty and staff. Tanksley said she gives students opportunities to drink tea out of real China and learn etiquette skills at the tea parties she hosts at the school.
She is known for teacher appreciation gifts, catered lunches, Christmas gifts, and reading to the students in the classroom.
“One of my favorite days is soup day,” she explained. “I take veggies over and we make a wonderful pot of vegetable soup – the students and me.”
Currently, Merry Carol is battling cancer again. With her final treatment on the horizon, she hopes to be able to return to normal activities in January.
Shaye Huff, Physical Education teacher at Hazel Grove, is tremendously grateful for Merry Carol and all that she has done for the students. “Mrs. Merry Carol can be seen walking across the road to Hazel Grove Elementary almost daily. She started this walk a couple of years ago as she became a favorite sub of all the teachers and students. Mrs. Merry Carol quickly became a huge part of our Hazel Grove family.”
Huff said that most substitute teachers drop off students quickly for specials (art, music, P.E.) and head back to the classroom for a break, but Mrs. Merry Carol is different.
“Once, she stopped to ask me (the PE teacher) if I had ever played 9 Square In The Air. It was a game she had seen played at her church and she knew the kids loved it.”
Huff researched the game and while it looked like fun, it was out of the budget. When Mrs. Merry Carol heard it was out of budget, she ordered the game herself and had it delivered to the school.
“It is now one of the students’ favorite games to play. She loves the kids here and they love her. She goes out of her way to do whatever she can to make their school experience special,” Huff added.
It has been said that happiness does not come from what we receive, it comes from what we give. Mrs. Merry Carol has found the true meaning in these words evident by the way she lives each day, giving her time, talents, and treasures to the children and teachers at Hazel Grove Elementary.
