I am a graduate of Virginia Beach City Public Schools. I went to Point O’View Elementary School and then Kempsville Junior High and Kempsville High School. What I love about Virginia Beach and being in the division is that I’ve had the opportunity to work with former teachers. One, Debbie Price, was my sixth-grade English teacher and we were assistant principals together at Landstown Middle School, which was really cool.
After high school I went to Old Dominion and decided I really had a knack for working with teenagers because in high school I was in marching band. I did color guard and I worked as an instructor in college. I realized there I liked working with teenagers so I might as well get my teaching certificate while I’m working on my English degree, and that’s how I got into education.
I started in Norfolk City Schools for two years and then I went to Ocean Lakes High School. I went to Landstown High School when it opened and I was there for 8.5 years until I became an administrator at Landstown Middle School for five years. Then came to central office in my dream job, which is secondary English coordinator.
Why is it the dream job?
I get to do all the things I love about being an administrator and a teacher together. I get to work with administrators. I get to work with teachers. I get to help teachers. I also get to be a resource, a consultant and give them new ideas, delivering the professional development and I get work with students, too. I like go into classrooms and help them with the writing piece and do writing conferences and even tutor to help get some of our students ready for the SOL test. It’s kind of the best of both worlds. I get to work with the students, teachers and administrators, which I love all three of them.
How do you like to spend your time outside of work?
We have a daughter that we adopted at 3 months old and she is the light of our lives. We take her everywhere. Since we had to travel first thing when we got her, she’s traveled with us everywhere. We like to camp and fish and boat and anything outside, so the child enjoys swimming and it is a strength of hers. Most recently she’s been horseback riding, so that’s been a cool event for the entire family to participate in.
She starts at Kingston Elementary School this year. Now I get to see the fruits of the efforts of the school division I work in. I’m excited to see her go through this journey and how I’m going to transition to the role of a parent.
#WeAreVBSchools
