The Littlefield ISD faculty celebrated Josie Servantez’s 50th anniversary at LISD and her birthday on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022 at the Administration building.
Josie Servantez started out at Littlefield ISD as the Kindergarten teacher’s aid, when she agreed to help a friend, 50 years ago.
“I had a friend that was going to have a baby and she was an aid in Kindergarten...and she asked me if I would sub for her while she had the baby for about six weeks and...I did that and while I was subbing there, they started the migrant program. So, then they asked me if I wanted to be the aid for the migrant program and I did and ever since then, I’ve been working,” Servantez said.
Servantez worked as the Kindergarten aid for 10 years before moving to the Migrant Program.
“I worked as migrant clerk for about probably about four years. I would go recruiting migrants and looking them up and getting a list of people that came in and see if they qualify and all that,” she said.
Servantez said she moved to payroll under Mr. Blakely, the first LISD Superintendent, and she did not think she could do it.
“I just did payroll for the school, but it was hard at first because I didn’t think I could do it. That was with Mr. Blakely and he told me he was going to change me to payroll...I got help I think the secretary then...she helped me before she left. So, she helped me and she taught me a lot,” Servantez said.
Servantez said she did not know Superintendent Mike Read was going to throw her a 50th anniversary party, she thought it was going to be a birthday party.
“I didn’t know they were celebrating, because today’s my birthday. They told me they were having a party for me and...I just though they’d have a cake and that’s it. When I got here, I saw tables and I was nosy and I said ‘why are all these tables here?’ and then when they brought the cake, I thought it was my birthday cake so I looked at it and I read what it said and I thought ‘ah ha, 50 years here,’ I really have enjoyed it. I’ve enjoyed working with everybody,” she said.
Servantez’s friends and coworkers celebrated her 50th anniversary at LISD and her birthday. Mike Read also invited her family, who all came to celebrate with her.
Servantez said she has only worked at LISD and has no future plans to retire.
“They asked me ‘when are you going to retire?’ and I said I don’t know. Some of the ladies thought I was retiring and came up to me and said ‘oh we’re going to miss you,’ and I said ‘I’m not going nowhere,’” she said with a laugh. “We’re just celebrating my 50th year here. Maybe I can go another 50, who knows.”
Servantez said she has liked working for Read and has liked working for LISD for 50 years.
“I’m just very thankful that I’ve been able to get through this 50 years with my health and everybody’s been real good to me and helping me out...I think this is the first job I had...everybody’s just been wonderful. We help each other, if we need help or whatever we need to do and it’s just been amazing working for LISD and I know I’m going to miss it when I really retire,” Servantez said.