Dr. Mark Williams, legendary music teacher at Middle Creek Elementary School, has announced his retirement at the end of the school year. He has been a teacher in Ohio County for 16 years.
His time in OCS makes up only a small piece of Dr. Williams’ resume. Williams has spent more than four decades performing all over the country as a percussionist and more recently, a pianist. “I’m from Northern Wisconsin, and I went there for a few years to be an optometrist. I ended up at Northern Illinois University as a percussionist and music education major because they needed musicians!” Williams states. He earned his undergraduate degree in Music Education and his MA in both music performance and pedagogy.
After touring and working professionally for a number of years, Williams was offered a two year job at then West Liberty State College. “And I stayed a little more than two years,” Williams states, reminiscing on the steel band memories from his time there: “We had one of the oldest steel bands in a college in the country. If programs explore their lineage, a lot of it can be traced back to West Liberty State College.”
Williams gives much homage to the Wheeling Greats who adopted him during this time. “The amount of talent and artistry in Wheeling was amazing at that time, and is still really strong; a lot of people supported me,” he states as he goes on to reference the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra where he at one point played as a principal percussionist.
After West Liberty State College, Williams worked with Oglebay Institute, but ultimately sought to return to the classroom after missing teaching and performing. “Teaching can be good theater,” he states. He finished his doctorate at West Virginia University in Technological Delivery of Arts with a focus in music and began at Middle Creek Elementary where he’s remained ever since. “We have strong building relationships here. The grade level teachers truly value music for students, not just as a free period for them, but as art for kids,” Williams states. Teaching also offered stability as a career and gave a creative outlet and time for professional performances outside of the workday.
Williams' love of teaching has been shared with over a dozen student and resident teachers, all of whom are employed as music teachers throughout the country. “Learning never stops, and I have the ability to make students happy about being in music. In high school, we prepare students for college and careers. In elementary school, we have music to enhance lives,” Williams states.
As Williams plans for retirement, he states he looks forward to enjoying his coffee for an extra hour or two in the morning and the ability to travel frequently and flexibly. He is also looking forward to spending time with his two adult children. Williams and his wife, Cheryl, a teacher at Elm Grove Elementary, have created a legacy of great education in Ohio County Schools. We will miss Dr. Williams terribly, but we wish him the absolute best in his retirement!
West Liberty University
West Virginia University
Oglebay Institute
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