Even as a little girl, Peggy Poysell knew she wanted to make a difference. Born and raised in Fort Pierce, Poysell chose to work in education after she noticed the impact she could have on young students.
“I wanted to do something that mattered,” said Poysell, 80, of Vero Beach, who will retire July 31 after a 50-year career at the School District of Indian River County.
“Anyone coming into education needs to care about kids. Teaching is not as easy as it used to be. But it’s still one of the most important professions out there.”
“It’s very important that we have teachers that come here and want to teach kids, help kids learn and be better. We need administrators who can be firm, but also care about people.”
Career evolution
Now some five decades later, Poysell looks back over her life, combing through the chapters to see how she got to this moment – retirement from a fulfilling career with the School District of Indian River County and accolades from her colleagues. While in high profile positions, Poysell worked with top administrators, including Dr. A. Ronald Hudson and schools’ superintendent Dr. David K. Moore.
Peggy Poysell PHOTO PROVIDED
Poysell said there were no other professions that grasped her attention besides education. First, she started her career counting other people’s money as a bank teller, a job she didn’t think of as a lifelong mission.
Her story is one of a career evolution in education, beginning with working as a teacher’s aide in August 1974 at Rosewood Elementary School in an age of chalk boards and carbon copies.
“My goal has always been to do the best job I can do,” Poysell said, crediting her faith in God with providing her purpose by setting clear short and long-term goals. “Goal setting is important because you can’t just flounder around. You need to have some sense of direction…have the bigger picture in mind. Think about what you want to do and set goals that will help you get there.”
Poysell later became a secretary at Vero Beach Junior High, then served as administrative assistant to the principal at Vero Beach High, the largest school in the county.
Poysell used a typewriter at work before the first batch of computers were delivered to the school district nearly three decades ago and before anyone heard of an internet or iPhone. Helping the children was the most pivotal objective for Poysell.
“It was always fun interacting with students. I would work with them on sight words, spelling and reading,” Poysell said with a calm, but determined demeanor while sitting in a conference room not far from her office at the School District headquarters.
“(Education) is so important for the kids and it drives everything. (Children) need to learn how to read, do math, learn science, history…all of that to be a more well-rounded person.”
Most of Poysell’s career was spent in the critical supportive role as the executive assistant to the schools’ superintendent.
Poysell, named to the executive assistant position in 2001, worked under 10 superintendents and dealt with countless administrators. The soon-to-be retiree said she treasured working with all the leaders and learned to adapt to their management styles.
“It’s good to have change. Each person has their strengths. It’s a new ball game each time,” Poysell said. “You’re learning what their goals are, what their vision is and what you need to do to support them. They all have their strong points and direction they want to go in.”
Early roots
Poysell flips back the pages of her life’s journey, scrolling to her early childhood years. As a young girl, she would pick sun-ripened tomatoes on her father’s tomato field.
“He wasn’t an engineer, but he could lay out a field. They always said, ‘Mr. (Frank) Gordon’s rows are always straight as an arrow,’” Poysell said. “If there was a problem getting water to the field, my father could always figure it out. I enjoyed the tomatoes a lot. We would go pick some tomatoes to bring home.”
Poysell, whose hands now have gravitated from plucking tomatoes to crafting, graduated from Dan McCarty High School – named after the former Florida governor – in 1962 in Fort Pierce. The school has since closed down.
Poysell attended Indian River Junior College (now Indian River State College) before the existing property in Fort Pierce had adequate building space.
“I went to Fort Pierce Elementary for my core classes, went to Dan McCarty High for science classes, went to the armory for physical education and went to Pelican Yacht Club for swimming,” Poysell said. “We had to drive all over town.”
Poysell fell in love and got married while in college. Poysell and her husband, Robert, have been married for 60 years. The couple has two children, Patricia and Bobby, along with four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
The Poysells moved from Fort Pierce to the smaller sprawl of Vero Beach in 1969. Poysell said she remembers the citrus groves that sprouted along the Indian River Lagoon.
“At that time, Vero Beach still had a lot of citrus groves, not only here but all through the middle of the state. You go to Orlando and you see all those beautiful rolling hills with all the citrus groves,” Poysell said. “The packing houses were active and busy. That’s not the case anymore.”
A teacher’s influence
Poysell thinks back to her seventh-grade teacher, Maude Mills, who she said had a long lasting impact on her. Poysell took math classes under Mills at Fort Pierce Junior High School.
“She was a wonderful math teacher. She not only taught us math, but she also tried to teach us to be good people,” Poysell said. “She constantly reminded people of how they should be doing something. She cared about us. She cared about all of her students.”
Poysell embodied the same nurturing spirit toward students during her tenure, whether in the classroom or working in the office. The education veteran was named Employee of the Year for the School District of Indian River County in 1997-1998 and 2024-2025.
Poysell said one of the big lessons she learned was that most people are where they are in life because of a teacher’s mentorship or personal encouragement.
Peggy Poysell receives a $2,500 check after being named Employee of the Year for the 2024-2025 school year. PHOTO PROVIDED
“Teachers are there to teach your children so they have a better chance at life,” Poysell said. “Education is all important. All kids need to be able to read, to be able to get a job, to feel fulfilled because you’ve accomplished that, obtained your education and graduated from high school.”
Poysell said not every student needs to seek higher education because there are jobs that don’t require a college degree.
“Not everyone is cut out for college. That has nothing to do with their intelligence. It has to do with the things they might like to do. There are people who are mechanics who are really good at that. A lot of people couldn’t do that,” Poysell said. “There are careers out there that don’t require a college degree that are very important to society.”
‘Advocate for children’
Poysell said she worked under Dr. Hudson, who at the time was principal of Rosewood Elementary School. When Hudson left to become principal at Vero Beach Junior High and then Vero Beach High, Poysell followed Hudson and worked under him as a secretary and administrative assistant.
“He mentored me, taught me and cared about me,” Poysell said. “He’s a wonderful person and was a wonderful administrator.”
Peggy Poysell PHOTO BY JOSHUA KODIS
Hudson, co-founder of the Gifford Youth Achievement Center and the first Black Assistant Superintendent for Instruction in the school district, said Poysell had a profound impact not only in the schools, but in the community.
“(She) deserves all the happiness and fulfillment that retirement brings,” said Hudson, now retired.
Poysell said schools’ superintendent Dr. Moore is brilliant, exceptional, driven, knows exactly what he wants and how to get there. Moore, who was hired in November 2019, earned the 2025 Florida Superintendent of the Year honor and was also a national finalist for superintendent of the year.
Moore said Poysell’s professional journey was inspiring.
“Throughout her career, she has exemplified our mission to inspire and empower all students to reach their full potential, touching countless lives along the way. Mrs. Poysell has been a steadfast advocate for children, a mentor to colleagues, and a pillar of our community,” Moore said.
Providing support
Poysell said one of her main objectives throughout her career was being a supportive worker bee and hyper-focused on providing assistance where needed.
“My goal was to be the best supporter I could be. These positions need a person they can rely on that can handle things. That’s what I did,” Poysell said. “Even though you might not agree with something that’s happening, you also don’t have the big picture. I learned that I needed to have faith and trust in the person making the decision that they know what they’re doing.”
Poysell also pointed out that teachers – on the frontline of a student’s learning – need support from administration along with volunteers.
“Everything we do is to help the teacher do their job. Teachers would come to me and need money for their classroom,” Poysell said. “I would go to the principal and tell them the teacher needs this and she doesn’t have the budget for it. The answer was always ‘find it.’ Whatever teachers needed, I tried to get it for them.”
Health scare
Today, Poysell enjoys hobbies including reading mystery and romance novels, watching The History Channel and shows about ancient aliens.
Poysell said she put her trust in God after learning that she and her daughter Patricia were diagnosed with breast cancer in August 2023. Poysell underwent surgery and radiation, while Patricia also had surgery, radiation and chemotherapy.
Both women are now cancer free.
But…Poysell said she recently had a mammogram along with an ultrasound. Poysell went back to the doctor for a biopsy.
“It’s going to be fine. I need all the prayer warriors I can get,” Poysell said on July 7 before her doctor’s appointment. “Women need to stay on top of everything and get their mammograms. One year we were fine, the next year we weren’t. It’s important to pay attention to your health because you never know. The quicker you find something, the easier it is to take care of it. Don’t think you’re too old to get it.”
On Monday morning, Poysell received great news from the doctor.
“I just got my results: NO cancer,” Poysell said.
Next chapter
Spending more time with family is Poysell’s next goal as the chapter of her career in education comes to a close. Her family usually gathers for dinners at her grandson’s house in Vero Beach.
“Family is all important to me. That’s where I get most of my fun – when we’re together,” said Poysell, who recently joined the Florida Retired Educators Association. “My whole family is in Vero.”
The next chapter of her life, she said, is still being written and will continue with God’s unchanging hand. Poysell said it’s important for not only teachers, but everybody to start each day with a fresh, new mindset.
“You can’t undo what happened yesterday, but you can certainly have control over what happens today,” Poysell said. “Attitude certainly has everything to do with it.”
