The phrase "home is where the heart is" takes on profound meaning at Century Community Unit School District 100. Of the district's staff members, a remarkable 27 are alumni who chose to return home to serve their community – representing nearly half the workforce from bus drivers and cooks to teachers and administrators.

Leading this legacy of service is Elementary Principal Melinda Duke, whose family's connection to Century spans nearly four generations. Her parents attended the small rural schools that eventually consolidated into Century, she graduated in 1992, her husband is also an alumnus, and all three of her children have walked these halls. Soon, her grandchild will begin the cycle anew in pre-K.

"I truly love where we live, where I grew up," Duke explains. "I have such a fondness of this school and my time here that I want that for the students coming through Century."

Duke's journey from student to leader exemplifies the district's pull on its own. After graduating from Southeast Missouri State University in winter 1995, she returned immediately as a substitute teacher in spring 1996, officially joining the staff that fall. She taught for 10.5 years, moving between grade levels to help wherever needed, before transitioning to administration in 2006. Now in her 20th year as principal, she also coordinates special education services district-wide.

"In the beginning, it was definitely something that was a little difficult for me personally, because they were my friends," Duke reflects on becoming the administrator of former colleagues. "I taught with my aunt – some of my very best friends." She learned to navigate the transition from peer to leader while maintaining the collaborative spirit that defines Century.

Superintendent Dr. Landon Sommer brings his own unique connection to the district. Though he graduated from nearby Joppa in 2004, he played baseball for Century all four years through a cooperative agreement. "A lot of my friends and people that I hang out with now are all Century people that I met playing baseball," Sommer says. After teaching elsewhere and serving as principal at his alma mater, the opportunity to lead Century felt like coming full circle.

The depth of these connections creates something special. "Quite a few of our staff grew up together, went here together, graduated together, and now they're back teaching together," Sommer notes. "But that also applies to the parents in the community. A lot of our teachers were close with some of our parents, went to school with our parents."

This familiarity translates into extraordinary support for students. The district provides far more than education – they coordinate Christmas for families annually, supply weekend food bags, help students repair cars when they're the family's primary income earner, and provide counseling that extends beyond graduation. On multiple occasions, recent graduates come back to receive support from our guidance counselor for a variety of reasons.

"Just living a lifetime as part of this community, knowing them as neighbors, friends, even family," Duke explains, "helps us hit the ground running every year because we know them, and they know us."

Duke describes Century in three words: loyalty, family, and support. Sommer adds close-knit and compassionate to the list. These aren't just administrative buzzwords but lived realities in a district spread across 102 square miles encompassing several small communities including Grand Chain, Karnak, and Ullin.

For many alumni, returning to work at Century represents both opportunity and calling. "You want more for where you grew up," Duke says simply. "I want anyone that goes to this school to get as much as they can and be the best they can be when they leave here."

The result is a district where institutional memory runs deep, relationships span generations, and the commitment to student success is both professional and deeply personal. When nearly half your staff chose to come home to serve, education becomes more than a job – it becomes a calling to nurture the next generation of your own community's children.