MECHANIC FALLS — There’s something about Mary Martin.

Something that makes her school secretary, Sherri Chagnon, cry at the thought of her leaving. “We are going to miss Mrs. Martin, huge,” Chagnon said, fighting back tears. “Parents love her. Kids love her. The staff love her.”

Something that prompts Jay Bryant, while working at Bryant Energy, to pause and say her leaving “is a loss to the town. She’s an awesome person.”

Martin, principal of the Elm Street School, may be among the most well-known, beloved people in town. The school closes for the summer June 20, Martin’s last day with students.

She’s trading overseeing hundreds for taking care of three grandchildren, retiring to help her daughter, Amy Colon, who has a 2-year-old and is expecting twins this summer.

“The grandmother role in my family is very strong,” Martin, 58, said. When she was a girl, her grandmother took care of her while her mother worked. “My mother quit work to take care of my kids,” she said. “It’s my turn.”

Deciding to leave was the easiest, and hardest, decision she’s had to make, Martin said.

“I love what I do. I love being here. I love the Minot school.” For the past year, Martin has also been principal of the Minot Consolidated School.

The schools are small-town, tight communities. “The bus driver is just as important as I am, as the secretary. We call it our Elm Street family.”

She’s looking forward to caring for her grandchildren, but she’ll miss her students, their parents, staff and the school.

She’s been at Elm Street a long time, as principal for 14 years, teacher for 13 years, a student for six years. “I did grades 3-9 here,” she said. Her two children also went to the school.

Many of today’s parents attended Elm Street when they were young. Martin had them when she was a teacher. That’s helpful, she said, when working with them for their children. The trust is already there. “I know what their needs are. We work together.”

She and a few of those parents worked through tough times when they were younger, Martin said.

When one student tried to skip school, Martin called her mother at work and, with the mother’s permission, drove to the girl’s home and knocked on the door.

“I came in and said, ‘You’re going to school,’” Martin recalled. “She said, ‘I’m not.’ I said, ‘Get in the car.’ She got in the car. I did that quite a bit.”

At the time students may not have been happy with her, Martin said.

“My message was, ‘I care about you. I’m not gong to give up on you.’” Being a principal is more than teaching academics, she said. It’s teaching work ethic, responsibility, respect and safety.

The student she talked about is a mother now. “Her kids are here. She comes to visit me all the time.”

Martin started her career after getting bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Southern Maine. Before Mechanic Falls, she taught in Norway and Harrison.

In 1997 she became Elm Street School principal. In 2005 she was named Elementary Principal of the Year.

Married to Forrest Martin, they live in Mechanic Falls. She plans to stay involved with the school. For starters she’ll bring the babies in for visits.

Her position is being advertised. Her advice for her successor is to take advantage of the staff, which works as a team.

Two teachers and one speech therapist, Cynthia Larrabee, Dorothy Barton and Maureen Downs, are also retiring after 38 to 45 years each. Most of their years were at Elm Street.

“It says a lot about our school,” Martin said. “People are pretty happy here.”

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