MADISON – The teachers and staff at West Madison Elementary School decided on Merrill Beaton as 2017 Staff Member of the Year.

“I have been the permanent sub (substitute teacher) at West Madison for 10 years, and I was a substitute teacher five years prior,” Beaton said.

Before West Madison, she worked as a crossing guard for Madison Police Department. “I was fortunate to be a stay-home mom when my children were young. Before that, I worked at AmSouth Bank as an assistant branch manager,” Beaton said.

“We moved to Huntsville in 1984,” she said. Her husband Dennis accepted a job position with Chrysler Corporation.

Originally from Cleveland, Tenn., Beaton and her family moved to Madison in 1998. The reputation of Madison City Schools is the primary catalyst that guided their decision to relocate in this community.

“Dennis Beaton has been my husband for 36 years,” she said. Dennis works as a computer engineer at Aviation Missile Research Development Engineer Command SED.

The Beatons have three sons: Jeremy, 26; Jarrod, 24; and Joseph, 22.

“I enjoy being with the students and working with the teachers, administrators and staff at West Madison,” Merrill said. “My children went to West Madison. It has always been home.”