LILLIAN, Ala. — Sarah Henkel spent 30 years in the classroom, much of it teaching special needs students and challenging them to succeed despite their disabilities. Now retired, the longtime educator is being recognized for a lifetime of service to her community and family.
One former student at Pensacola Catholic High School said Henkel taught him the skills to thrive in college. “I admire her dedication and passion. She taught learning strategies, how to effectively take notes, how to listen. She really prepared me how to study in college, how to be a good student,” he said.
Henkel serves as president of the Lillian Perdido Bay Community Library, a role she takes on without pay. “I’m only as successful as I am because of what they do. Same thing like in the classroom when I taught. My success as a teacher was only as good as what the children could give me back as students,” she said.
Henkel has faced deep personal loss. She lost her father to a heart attack as a child, and two brothers — one to a bicycle accident and another to ALS. Her son James, a former rock climber, became a quadriplegic after a fall, and Henkel and her husband underwent months of medical training so he could live as independently as possible. Today he drives to a full-time job, lives alone and enjoys fishing.
She encourages parents to spend time with their children and read to them. “You don’t have to do great, grand, glorious things to be remarkable,” Henkel said. “You can just be a little old library president in Lillian, Ala.”