Leaving a Legacy

    HARLAN --“West Ridge Zoo,” Joan Potter, office manager and secretary, accidentally said while answering the school’s phone. That day the office of West Ridge Elementary was chaotic and Cindy Burchett, former principal, mentioned the zoo-like atmosphere.
    If the school were a zoo, Potter was the zookeeper.
    After 38 years of service to the Harlan Community School District, Potter is hanging up her hat.
    “I don’t know any other life,” Potter said. “[This job] has made me the person I am. I’ve had to come out of my shell a little bit. It’s definitely molded me.”