McDowell Mountain Elementary School Principal Joanne Meehan was recently asked if she believes that life begins at 40.

“Would you believe 41?” she quickly responded.

The fact remains that the 2009-10 school year marked Meehan’s 41st year in education.

She started as a teacher and, of course, is now a principal, working in public schools in Pennsylvania and Arizona.

Perhaps the best part is that for the past 26 years Meehan has served with distinction as a principal within the Fountain Hills Unified School District.

Prior to her lengthy tenure with FHUSD, she had taught in the elementary and middle schools in both Harrisburg and Media, Pa.

Incidentally, as a first-year teacher, Meehan met and, two years later, married husband Don, who was the principal of Harrisburg Senior High School at the time.

In addition to teaching back East, Meehan worked as a curriculum specialist. During evening hours and summers, she attended graduate school at Cheney State University and ultimately earned her master’s degree in educational administration and supervision.

In March of 1975 the Meehans accepted one of the McCulloch Corporation’s promotional free flights to check out property in the new desert community of Fountain Hills.

During their brief stay, the Meehans realized that Fountain Hills was where they desired to live, and they purchased a lot for just over $10,000.

Eight years later, after fulfilling their contracts with Pennsylvania school districts, the Meehans contracted with Gil Knoll Builders to construct their new home here.

After teaching sixth grade for one year in the Mesa School District, Joanne Meehan accepted a position as principal of Fountain Hills Elementary School, which was the sole public school in town, housing K-8 students only.

“Back in the day” Fountain Hills high schoolers were bused either into Mesa or Scottsdale.

Meehan recalled with a sentimental smile that in the early days the graduation ceremony for Fountain Hills Elementary School was quite an importation occasion in town.

“We brought in celebrities such as Eddie Basha (head of the large supermarket chain) and Vince Leonard, who was one of the Phoenix area’s more prominent television news anchors, to address our youthful graduates,” she said.

After having been principal for 14 years at the facility, which was re-named to Four Peaks Elementary School, Meehan was transferred to the newer McDowell Mountain Elementary School.

That move has proven to be a strategically sound one, as MMES is the only FHUSD school to have been designated as an “Excelling” school for each of the past six years by the Arizona Department of Education.

Meehan has been recognized in the community at-large for her many talents and contributions.

In 2005 she received the Champion’s Award from the Sunridge Foundation (today called the Community Foundation), which has awarded tens of thousands of dollars to local non-profit organizations.

In presenting the award, Times Publisher Alan Cruikshank said, “Our recipient of the Champion’s Award was a college cheerleader.

“This woman has brought a lot of cheer to the young people of our community, given them guidance in their formative years and has proven herself to be an outstanding role model for all of them.”

In 2008 Meehan was inducted into the Lower Verde River Valley Hall of Fame by the local Historical Society and River of Time Museum.

In accepting membership into this elite group, Meehan commented, “The wonderful pupils and very dedicated teachers of our fine School District have truly made this moment possible.

The Fountain Hills Elks Lodge in 2009 selected her as “citizen of the year.”

In accepting the honorary plaque in her typically modest fashion, she chuckled, “I think the hidden agenda in receiving this humbling award is that I am simply growing older!”

When asked what her retirement plans are after having devoted 41 years to working with children, teachers and parents, Meehan laughingly responded, “Retirement? You’ve got to be kidding!

“I really believe that these first 41 years were the easy ones. Now, let’s see what tomorrow brings.”

Or perhaps Monday, Aug. 9, 2010.

That’s when the bell rings for the first day of school.