Tamaqua Area Superintendent Ray Kinder attended his last school board meeting as superintendent Tuesday night.

He officially retires Aug. 25, and his assistant superintendent, Stephen Toth, will now take the district’s helm.

Kinder took the opportunity to address the board and the school community for a final time.

“I feel extremely fortunate and grateful for the opportunities I received over the past 32 years as an educator in the Tamaqua school district,” the Tamaqua native said. “This community is my home.”

Kinder wanted to thank those who supported him and his family over the years.

“I’d like to express my sincere appreciation to our district office staff for making me look better than I am, and dealing with the faces that I make,” he said.

“Apparently, I make faces,” Kinder joked.

He thanked the faculty and staff for being the finest example of what educating students is supposed to look like.

“We’ve done a tremendous job supporting children’s lives,” he said.

Kinder also gave a nod to the district’s students, who he said inspired him every day to give his best from his time as a teacher right through as a principal and administrator.

He thanked the Tamaqua community for being willing to have conversations on how they could be “better together,” and to the school board for making decisions on what’s best for students.

“That doesn’t always happen,” Kinder said. “I appreciate your dedication to Tamaqua Area schools.”

He thanked his predecessor and mentor, Carol Makuta, who he called, “the best,” and all his fellow administrators who assisted him from his early years on up through the ranks.

“They are the best group of people I’ve had the privilege of working alongside,” Kinder said. “The group we have now will continue their excellence and they have my thanks and admiration.”

Kinder also thanked his parents, a former superintendent and a teacher, for being “the finest example of what education should be their support in everything I did, even when I probably didn’t deserve it.”

He also thanked his three sisters for their understanding as their only brother, and his children, Raymond and Grace.

“They’re kind, compassionate, loving people who as administrative kids had some of the benefits, such as getting a book out of their locker on a Sunday afternoon when they forgot it school, or finding out about a school cancellation 30 seconds before everybody else,” he joked.

Kinder also acknowledged that his children also had to live under the microscope that they didn’t choose.

“I’m proud of the way they handled it, and grateful for the education they received in our district.”

Finally, Kinder thanked his wife, Jennifer, simply, for everything.

“They call it the better half for a reason, and it’s never been true,” he said.

“The school district is in great hands,’ Kinder said. “Steve will do a tremendous job with the people that are here, and I know this board will continue to do a great job in this community.”