MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The graduating class of Craigmont High School said its goodbyes to one of the class favorites, Principal Sherilyn Brown.

Brown walked the halls of the school for 39 years, and today she graduated her very last class.

The 2015 seniors at Craigmont High were the last class Principal Sherilyn Brown will graduate.

Brown was at one school her entire teaching career.

She started as a teacher and worked her way up to the principal’s office.

“I am so grateful I was allowed to serve these children for 39 years,” said Brown.

A major health issue almost forced Brown into early retirement but she fought to come back.

She said she did it for the kids.

On Senior Day this year, some of the same kids that showed their appreciation for her dedication.

“The seniors came and they all started putting roses in front of me,” Brown recalled. “I’m not going to cry. I could not keep a straight face. That felt so good to me that they even thought of me like that.”

“Of course she was really strict, really stern but at the same time she was really fluid. She would always help out the students. She was always thinking about her students,” said Hamadi Mberwa, a Craigmont student.

It’s not just her students who noticed her dedication.

During WREG’s interview with Brown, she got another heartwarming surprise.

We told her there was one more gift for her and in walked State Representative Antonio Parkinson.

Parkinson presented Brown with a proclamation from the state of Tennessee.

He wanted her to know all the pomp and circumstance going on at Craigmont this week wasn’t just for the students.

It was also for a job well done for the principal who guided so many students through their high school years.

Brown’s official last day is scheduled to be June 30.