Mahone Bay Old School_A Life and Times_Bob Sayer

Neil Cleveland: The Real Town Policeman Retired 1997
Ted Veinot: “It’s been a real pleasure to know Neil. He’s been a real comrade to
many kids in our school.” Neil was the last of the old school: the town policeman
who made himself available at all times. Every student in school knew
liked and respected him. He was always around. Weight lifting club [for some
20 years] in the basement was his special skill. But it was all the other things
that made him special: classroom appearances to talk about drug awareness,
road safety, the law and the adolescent; special appearances at Winter Carnival
or Activity Night. He was also the top fund-raiser for Big Brothers/Big
Sisters for ten years. No matter their reputation, Neil treated all with respect.
Neil left a mark on the Old School that few policemen could hope to emulate.
Suzanne DeMille: Super Secretary
“In 1974, Noel Dexter, who I didn’t know from Adam, told me to report to the
school the next morning.” Good secretaries are indispensable. They have to
be the soul of discretion and the fount of information; both stern guardians of
the door and welcoming greeters; able to say a firm no and hearty yes; able to
fix, demonstrate and repair all the office equipment; able to meet and remind of
deadlines; be prepared to knock off newsletters and yearbooks; lend an empathetic
ear to the world of teachers, students, janitors, parents and salesmen who
stream to the building. Susanne DeMille was one such secretary from 1974 to
the new school. She worked for some thirty plus years for, “Seven principals,
eight vice-principals four school boards, plus the Town of Mahone Bay.” She
knows the Old School intimately.
She has a full set off yearbooks for all the years she was at the school, and did
the typing-word processing for most of them. She knows and remembers names
and faces, and has kept newspaper clippings of school events and items on students
from adolescence and younger to adulthood. Mrs. DeMille has witnessed
three generations of students pass through the doors.
219