2 Lexington School District 1 principals have announced their retirements.

Lexington High School Principal Melissa Rawl and White Knoll Middle School’s Guy Smith will retire after a combined 83 years in education.

Rawl has been in education since she began teaching in 1978 at Brookland-Cayce High School in District 2.

She moved to Lexington High School in 1998, where she served as a teacher and the district’s secondary summer school coordinator before becoming an assistant principal in 2001, then principal in 2011.

Lexington County School District 1 Superintendent Greg Little said, “Melissa Rawl truly represents the best of Lexington District 1.

“A quiet, calm leader, her employees know that she cares about them, but also know that she expects the very best they have to offer students. Under her leadership, LHS has flourished.”

Smith began his education career in 1979 as a social studies teacher at Richland Northeast High School in Richland School District 2.

He joined Lexington District 1 in 1981 as a social studies teacher at Pelion High School. There he served as department chair and coached various sports including tennis, junior varsity basketball and varsity track.

A promotion in 2012 took him to White Knoll Middle School as principal.

“Guy Smith leads by example. His hard work for and commitment to students is eclipsed only by his commitment to his staff. We will miss him,” Little said.