Cypress High’s well-known 9th grade English/Social Studies teacher, Tracy Mills, announced her retirement as of the end of this school year.

Mills has been teaching at Cypress for a total of 27 years. Before teaching at Cypress, Mills taught at McAuliffe Middle School, Mayfair High School, and Hawthorne Intermediate. She also was a former substitute teacher, and even used to work at a bank. Besides teaching Psychology and English, she taught various topics during her career such as Health, Sociology, Theater, Marriage and Family, and AVID.  According to retired Social Studies department chair Joanne Fawley, “Mrs. Mills created the Psychology class and did a great job. She really wanted students to be introduced to the subject.”

Cypress High School has always been a special place for Mills. Throughout her entire time at Cypress, she made good friends with her colleagues and her daughter even attended here. Teacher Pamela Lightner said that she is sad that Mills will be leaving, “We have been ‘classroom neighbors’ for a long time. She is so welcoming…we will miss her.” Current English department chair Jennifer Davidson said Mills has “been a staple of the department, especially the 9th grade team.  We will miss her.”

Compared to her first years on campus, Mills said Cypress has changed a lot, “The population is larger, more diverse, and way more dependent on electronics.” 

When asked about the moments that she cherishes the most in her teaching career, she said, “I enjoy seeing a student I had in 9th grade English again in 12th grade when they take Psych.” This also includes moments where she runs into former students, and hearing what they have been up to.

Mills also has a love for theater. The best moments she has experienced on campus include the plays she directed. “The Sound of Music,” “Grease,” and “Steel Magnolias,” were some of her favorites.

Mills and her husband bought a 15 acre log home in Missouri, and after this school year, she “plans to slow life down and enjoy the simple things.”