Embed This Article Best Wishes to Mrs. Watkins As She Rides Off in the Retirement Sunset Larry Breen Erna Watkins poses with her family after her retirement reception. [ArticleMedia] Wednesday, July 01, 2009 By Larry Breen    Sad to say, it's over--counselor Erna Watkins finally decided it was time to give up her long-time career in education and join her family for some much-needed rest and relaxation. At her retirement party Monday, May 18 at 4 p.m. in the LMC, the staff served mixed nuts, cookies, and pineapple punch as principal Sam Sexton presented her with a small treasure chest with $600 before many church members and her pastor Delvin Atcheson, along with more than fifty faculty and staff.      Watkins started college at Houston-Tillotson in Austin three years before marrying; five years later, she and her husband returned to Waco, where she completed her bachelor's degree at Paul Quinn College; twenty-seven years later, she also attended Prairie View A&M University in Texas.      Watkins started off teaching ninth grade English and data processing at McGregor High School from 1972 to1974. Then two years later, she taught business courses for ninth through twelfth grades at Jefferson-Moore High School from 1976 to 1980.      In 1980, Watkins worked as administrative assistant to the senior vice-president of the Trust Department at the Inter-First Bank in Temple. A year later, she was an eleventh-grade English teacher at Marlin High School where she worked for a year. After leaving MHS, she worked as an instructor in the development writing lab at McLennan Community College (MCC) in Waco, instructing English students who were referred to the lab for improvement of their writing skills.      Afterward, Watkins taught Waco High School business courses from the ninth through twelfth grades from 1983 to 1985; then she worked as Computer Literacy teacher for two years at GL Wiley Middle School. For four additional years, she served as a writing teacher in the writing lab, and for the next six years, she served as guidance counselor at GLWMS before coming to LVISD.     "I have especially enjoyed working with Sal Acosta. We were indeed partners; we had a wonderful working relationship. I will miss him, and I wish him many move happy years at La Vega," Watkins said. "La Vega ISD is a wonderful place to work, and I will miss everyone, but I do plan to keep in touch."