After several decades of hard work, dedication and service to the Levittown School District, Vera Mingovits and Robert Davis are ready to step down.

Salk Middle School Principal Vera Mingovits and Assistant Superintendent Robert Davis are retiring, but will not soon forget their experiences and the children they worked with.

Mingovits has been involved with the Levittown School District for almost her entire life. Growing up in Levittown, she attended schools in the district. She has worked as both a teacher and administrator within the district since 1971.

After teaching for a few years, Mingovits accepted an administrative position, and became a department chairperson of the high school and eventually the assistant principal at one of Levittown's middle schools.

As an administrator, Mingovits said she had the opportunity to help create beneficial programs such as the English Language Learners program.

"I am proud that we helped the teachers and kids to do their best and be creative," she said.

Mingovits said she thinks the school district is headed in the right direction in the future and has one area in particular that she emphasizes strongly.

"Character education," she said. "We should continue to instill morals in kids and help out the community."

Similar to Mingovits, Davis also began his educational career as a teacher.

He began his career teaching health in 1967 and moved on to various administrative positions in the Yonkers and Half Hollow Hills School Districts. His tenure with Levittown began in 1981 when he served as what was then called, director of elementary education.

After working five years in Levittown, Davis accepted an assistant superintendent position in the Commack School District. He later returned to Levittown in 1996 as assistant superintendent of instruction. He remained in that position until his retirement this year.

Davis said that he has enjoyed working with the community and students in the district.

"This is a good community to work with," he said. "These are the best and smartest kids I've been around."

When asked which accomplishments he was most proud of, Davis cited the rise in the Regents diploma rate, the extended day kindergarten plans and the new graduation requirements for high school students. He added that all those accomplishments would not have been possible without others.

"Everything I've done here has been with the help of many other people," he said.

Davis was the recipient of the PTA Honorary Life Award in the Commack School District and PTA Distinguished Service Award in Levittown this year. Last year he was named Man of Year for the March of Dimes.

His secretary for the past five years, Patricia Freund nominated Davis for the PTA Distinguished Service Award. Besides attending parades, playoff games and ceremonies as often as he was able during non-working hours, Freund said he was a great supporter of culture, vocational education and athletics in the schools.

"He has been asked to be a guest speaker at NYSSMA because of his staunch backing of music in the schools," she added. "He planted a garden behind LMEC every spring and all summer and early fall."

Davis' retirement letter to Superintendent Dr. Herman Sirois read, "I wish you continued progress in providing success for what I've always said were the best children I've even worked with."

Both Mingovits and Davis said they do not plan on remaining idle during their retirement days. Mingovits still wants to be around education "in some way," and Davis plans to work and have some fun as well.

"I'll probably work as some sort of consultant," he said. "And play softball."