For the past eight years I have worked in special education at Kempsville Elementary School. Throughout that time, most all I have met know my inherent love of art. That love has built a unique connection with the children I work with as well as my colleagues.

I have created so many sketches, visual aids, grade level samples, reference drawings, classroom tools…I almost forget how much of my “art” is abundant in this school.

So how sublime was it for me when the teacher lounge got a makeover this year, and I was asked to display my personal art.

To be given a blank wall…everyone should feel that.

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I’m excited for this journey. I just love people. One of my passions is helping people reach their potential. I felt like as a teacher I could do that with the students. Then, as a gifted resource specialist I could help coach the teachers a little. Then I kind of ventured into the assistant principal role and I really liked that as well. But I feel like in this role I have a great sense of how to help everybody with reaching their full potential and I feel like this role gives me a bigger opportunity to do that. I love building relationships and community; I have a niche for instruction and relationships. I get to do all of that. What an opportunity! It’s a blessing.

Do you have any favorite memories from school when you were a student?

I have favorite people. I actually had a 10^th grade teacher who is still at Princess Anne High School who my 19-year-old also had, Mrs. Davis. When you talk about pushing people to their potential – I picked up so much from that woman. She was tough but she loved me and I knew she loved me, and that’s just something I took away from her – just pushing, gently pushing people to their comfortable edge. She did that for me. She did that for my daughter. I’ve never seen my daughter come alive like that.

And Matt Delaney was my world geography teacher at Princess Anne. Like Mrs. Davis, Mr. Delaney was a genuine teacher who cared about his students. He was also a huge motivator and an engaging teacher. He kept the class focused with humor and content. I was fortunate to learn from some pretty passionate educators who wanted what was best for their students. I’ve taken that with me as well. Mr. Delaney and Mrs. Davis are just a few shining examples of how believing in students and refusing to give up on them can help them reach their goals.

What do you like to do when you’re not at work?

My favorite place is the beach. We spend a lot of time there. Obviously, with this new venture I won’t be traveling as much but we are going to take a week in Florida with the girls. That’s one thing we try to do every summer. We’ll do our week in Florida and other than that, I’m loving on my three girls and enjoying some down time. I love yoga and mindfulness. That’s what I do a lot when I’m not at work. It helps me keep my balance so I can be the best me for everybody else.

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I’m excited. I’m really excited. I feel really lucky to be the principal at Kempsville where I’ve been for six years because I get to look at it from a different lens – not just an A.P. lens, but now the principal lens. I know the people in the building and I know what our needs are, so I can hit the ground running. We’ve already started that; we’ve already planned the first week. I know the direction that we’ve talked about wanting to go and I know there are things that I’ve wanted to do, so now I have the opportunity to put those in place. So I’m excited. It’s a great school. The teachers – it’s like family.

What you like best about Kempsville?

The sense of community. I think that it’s a tight-knit group and they want to do what’s right for Kempsville. It’s not just about scores and data and all that. It’s about making sure people feel comfortable, making sure people feel welcome. They want to be here – you just get that feeling everywhere you go.

Do you have any favorite school memories of your own from when you were in school?

Maybe the best memory from high school is that’s where I met my husband. I was a sophomore and he was a senior and we’ve been together ever since – 30+ years. That was a really good memory.

I did have an English teacher in seventh grade and she set me on the path of loving English. And then, when I was a senior, I had Mrs. Hyman as an English teacher at Cox and I just fell in love with Shakespeare. That’s where I realized I could teach and help other people who didn’t understand it. I was tutoring my friends and helping them out. It set me on the path to want to be a teacher.

What do you like to do when you’re not at work?

I don’t have any big plans for this summer. Last year my daughter got married so that consumed our summer, so this year we’re just laying low. I love to go the beach. We live near the bay. I love to go down there. We’ll anchor out and just float for hours, literally. I like to spend time with my family. My parents are just down the street so it’s nice to spend time with them and go visit my girls. My dog Elvis, I love to do anything with him. He’s my running buddy and we run in the morning together.

Is there anything else you’d want people to know about you?

I love what I do. I truly love…I wake up every morning happy to come to work. It’s not work; it’s just I love being here. It’s hard in the summertime when the kids aren’t here because it’s quiet. It’s a little weird feeling. But when they’re here, the school’s alive and I just love that pulse that the kids give it. I’m excited to be able to be the principal.

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“They call us webmasters only because full-time multitasking ninja is not an actual job title.”

“We do everything from creating webpages, newsletters, and blogs to updating hundreds of pdf, video and photo files every week.”

“I couldn’t be more excited about the launch of the redesigned websites.  This new look is a great opportunity to freshen up the look and make the navigation easier for our visitors.”

“I’m glad I was able to be a part of this process and was able to learn what pages are the most important to our community.”

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I feel like I’m always put in the school that needs my strengths but also where I can learn, and Kempsville Meadows totally did that. But the opportunity presented itself, so I’m really excited and just really honored to lead a school again and serve a community – and serve a community as great as Christopher Farms. I mean it has such a fantastic reputation and I love that southeast corner. I loved being at Strawbridge.

Do you have any favorite memories of school from when you were a student?

I do. Being a part of clubs really stands out to me, and just some specific teachers – my fourth-grade teacher Mrs. Reynolds sticks out to me. She really had a love for literacy and history. I wasn’t a super reader until then and she started reading the Roald Dahl books with us and then that continued to fifth grade. Mr. O’Connor was completely different. He was my first male teacher and I remember he really let us kind of lead the class. He was the first teacher where we would have ideas and he would say, “Yeah, let’s do it.” I remember we did a science contest. Then we had the idea of a talent show and he said we could do it but it had to tie into history, so we reenacted different artists through the American Revolution and Civil War. That was really cool. Then just the different clubs stand out to me. In high school I was really involved and my principal was very into organically letting students come up with clubs. That’s something Mr. Williams and I did here this year. I think we took the clubs from two to…they just exploded this year. The teachers would say, “I have this idea for a Green Team Club.” Go for it. We had a Step Team. [We’d] walk the building at 4:30 p.m. and the energy that you could just bottle up here past school hours was just awesome. So it was really cool to tie what I liked back in high school to then see it in action at elementary school.

What do you like to do when you’re not at work?

I’ve definitely learned over years that I love being committed and serving the community that I’m in, but also in finding that balance that I’ve become a much better leader. I always balance a professional read with a personal read. You can often find me on the beach or just putting bikes on my jeep and driving. I love Cape Charles, the little kind of quiet town. I’m not really good at sitting inside. Even if I’m reading, it’s outside somewhere. Really this summer is going to be a mix of that and just really getting to know Christopher Farms.

Is there anything else you’d want people to know about you?

How, I think for me, you never know what you have until you leave and last year that was such a big thing. Everybody wants to be in Virginia Beach and loves being in Virginia Beach. When you’re in it you lose that perspective and when I left last year, I just missed it so much – the culture, being with people that had the same values and same drive and same kind of servancy to community and to lead. You’re always here for the kids but having that community – I was just super grateful to come back in that capacity and I’m just so excited to serve. I feel like it’s so cliché but I’m one of those people that I don’t see my job as a job, which I feel pretty lucky about.

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I absolutely love this job. I know I’m supposed to be here at this time, for these kids, for this teacher. We’re really working together for the children so well while she’s out. At the end of every day I am so energized, my husband always tells me I should be exhausted but I’m not. I just love it. It’s so much fun!

In this long-term position, I’ve taught myself how to use the Promethean board and we even made our own books for their teacher on Book Creator. It’s been great. The kids have been helpful not just with me learning all this but they help each other too and show each other new ways to do things.

I brought in my flute to help them learn some United States geography with a song I know. Then the next day I see one of the kids left me this little book on my table next to my flute opened to pages of a song. Apparently I’m taking requests now.

I feel so comfortable and so at home here, I told the office I’ll only take jobs here next year, give me anything they’ve got.

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I’m going to go to Costa Rica for a school trip this summer. It’s a program where we learn about cultures outside of the U.S. We’ll be there about a week. We’re going to go to a chocolate factory; we’re going to go to a choreography place; and I’m pretty sure we’re going to the beach.

Have you thought about a career you’d like to have?

I’d like to be a computer engineer. I have always been fascinated by how computers work, and I want to know more about them.

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I like to play in the pool and play outside and go to playgrounds like these. I’m going to go to tennis camp and going to ask my mom if I can sign up for gymnastics. And swimming!

Do you have a favorite?

Yes. Gymnastics and swimming. I want to learn how to dive on the diving board.

What have you liked best about the school year?

Art and having fun and when our teacher takes us outside and when my mom and dad come for lunch.

Is there anything else you want people to know about you?

I like to play with my fifth-grade buddy. I like play on the playground with her and I can hang upside down.

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Some advice I would give to rising seniors is to stay focused. It’s hard to do sometimes with friends and extracurricular activities. Remember, at the end of the day that you are the one graduating, not the people around you. It’s ultimately all up to you. In the end there is a goal, and it’s an attainable goal, so just stay focused on completing it.

Graduation is that moment of fulfillment and knowing that I finally did it, and moving on to the next stage of my life. After graduation I plan on working for a year before enrolling to Tidewater Community College for two years, then transfer over to Old Dominion.

After ODU I would like to join the military.

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My favorite subject is math. It seems to come easily to me and I like doing the logical stuff in it. Next year, I’m going to the Technology Academy at Landstown High School. I love band. I play percussion, which is the drums and all that. I have a bell set at home. I’ve been playing since sixth grade, but my mom and dad come from the Bahamas and there’s this thing called Junkanoo – basically it’s a marching band and it has a lot of percussion in it.

I got a 600 on my writing, geometry and civics SOLs and then I got a 554 on my reading and science SOLs. I’ve never gotten a perfect score before, so it was like: Yes!

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I had fun this year. I’m in sixth grade. It was my first year of middle school. Last year, I always wanted to be in a bunch of afterschool clubs, so I’ve been in probably over five clubs this year. There was anime club, maker club, community service – we got to go to a soup kitchen and help them out. I also was in field hockey this year and it was pretty fun.

Have you thought about what kind of career you’d like to have?

Last year we did a career inventory and I was thinking about it. I had a lot of things I always wanted to do, like photography and art, so I decided I was going to be a graphic designer and photographer. And the college that I want to go to is all the way in San Francisco. I believe it is the Academy of Art University. From what I saw, it’s really nice and I hope I can get into it.

Why do you like art?

I like art because, to be honest, it just calms me down – when I draw or anything. I think art is a really nice expression because I want to be a photographer and I have a camera already. I just really like to edit things and create things.

What are your plans for this summer?

Mainly going to Ocean Breeze, Water Country and Busch Gardens – those kinds of things. I like swimming, so I’ll probably go swimming. And I’m going to California for about two weeks later this summer. I have family there. We went for spring break and I wanted to go back. We’re going to Anaheim for Disneyland, San Diego and Los Angeles.

Is there anything else you want people to know about you?

This year I’m a Lancer Leader. I went to Lancer Launch and I thought being a Lancer Leader would be pretty cool – how you get to organize a lot of things, which I love organizing. I get to organize how it’s going to be planned out. I’m part of the team that gets to design everything and we’re making posters. Everybody chose me to draw the T-shirt. So I was put in charge of drawing everything that’s going to be on the T-shirt.

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I’m looking forward to seeing my cousins this summer. They live in New York. I think we’re going to where my grandparents live and my cousins are going to come there.

What did you like about this school year?

I really liked being in fourth grade because we got homework. In third grade we did get homework but just not a lot.

Not everybody likes homework. Why do you like homework?

I don’t really like it, but I just wanted to do it because I would understand stuff more. I also liked that we had fun stuff to do; like, whenever we do math or we switch classes, we’ll have some fun stuff to do. And sometimes there’s no homework.

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I’m going to Old Dominion University and majoring in Nursing. I’m so excited to live my best life. All you need to do is spread peace and love and you will be happy. Together we can improve this world one day at a time. It starts with positive energy and good vibes.

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I am so excited for summer. This summer I plan on going to summer camps. One of them is in Wallops Island. It’s a weeklong summer camp and it’s basically like astronaut training. I’m also going to go to a few STEM-related camps. And I’m also going to Disney World this summer for fun. Oh, and I’m also going to the Kennedy Space Center. They have a couple camps I also want to do there. I might go there twice for two different camps.

I plan on going to college and becoming a robotics engineer, and I also plan on working for NASA when I grow up and becoming an astronaut.

Is there anything else you’d want people to know about you?

Well, also when I grow up I want to be a pilot, too – in the Air Force. I’m also in the Civil Air Patrol. It’s like aerospace and leadership; it teaches you a ton of things that the Air Force does. Last summer I got to go on an O-ride, which is an orientation flight where you get to fly a plane. I did it in Fort Pickett in Blackstone, Virginia. I was in a camp there, too.

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I’m looking forward to going to my grandparents’ house in Kansas. We’re going to the Grand Canyon. They’re renting out a camper that we’re going to use to drive to the Grand Canyon. And I’m also going to camp – Kansas Bible Camp, which my grandpa works at.

What are you looking forward to about the Grand Canyon?

Mr. Fritz said there is a glass platform that you can stand on and you can just look down and watch below.

What have you liked best about fifth-grade?

I like the teachers. They are really kind and they make me laugh.

Are you looking forward to middle school?

I’m actually scared because of changing classes. I might forget a class I’m going to. The only thing I’m excited for is the lockers.

Have you thought about what you want to do when you get older?

I probably want to be a teacher because I love teaching little kids. I used to have neighbors who would come over anytime, and I used to teach the two youngest how to do their ABCs and things like that.

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Can I talk about what I want to be when I grow up?

Absolutely.

I’m definitely more of a left-brained person: You’re very logical; you don’t take your emotions too much into play. I am definitely that. I don’t go based off emotions. So I want to do something that makes me challenge myself. But before I go into a college for my career or something, I want to go into the military so I don’t have to pay for my college. I think it will also give me a new enlightenment of what other parts of the world are out there. I like traveling. It’s one of my favorite things. I haven’t left the country yet but I’ve been places like New York, Florida – everything on the East coast mainly. The only place on the West coast was Washington State. When I do get a job, I want to do something with law enforcement, like a lawyer, or studying, like an astronaut or something like that – studying space or something. I like studying things. That’s what I want to do.

What are your plans for the summer?

I go with my dad for the summer. For the first couple of weeks I’m going to his house in North Carolina and we’re going to visit South Carolina just to hang out and have a vacation. Then I go to my grandparents’ house in Kentucky and I visit the horse farm a lot. And then my family does a medieval reenactment thing. It has like no running water and we dress up in hot medieval clothing for two weeks in the middle of nowhere in Pennsylvania. After that, we’re going to New York to see a couple of shows and visit the place where Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton dueled and where he’s buried.

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How did you feel about coming to GNMS?

Excited. I am a cheerleader with my friends. My birthday was at Otani. Everyone came. It was so much fun.

What did you like best about being on the cheering squad?

I was in sixth grade but my friend’s name is Devon. She is kind. So are Andi and Kyleigh.

What grade are they in?

Eighth.

Is it fun to have friends in the eighth grade?

YES!

Do you have a favorite cheer?

My favorite is “All the Way.” All right. Here we go. I’m ready.

All the way. All the way.
Great Neck… Take it…all the way.
Take it. All the way!

Besides cheering, what do you like about school?  Do you enjoy reading?

Yes. I like to read about a Teddy Bear.

Is reading your favorite subject?

No, math. I like adding.

Do you like PE?

I like running. Coach T. is always cool as a teacher.

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I want to tell you about my birthday in the summer. My birthday is July 21. And when it’s my birthday, we’re going to go to Chuck E. Cheese and TGI Fridays, and then I will have a hot fudge sundae. I like how they put the chocolate on the bottom so you can mix it and then eat it. And when we do that, people can give me my presents and then I can open them. When we go to Chuck E. Cheese, we will play a lot of games. My favorite game at Chuck E. Cheese is the one where…do you know there’s like this fox that has to get this gem? There is a big ball and you can roll it around, and when you roll it around, it moves the character. Then you might get hit with this laser – you have to go really fast – if you get hit with the laser then it will be game over.

Are you pretty good at that game?

Yes. Even my sisters are, too.

Is there anything else you want people to know about you?

How about my pets – can I tell you about my pets? So, I have three pets: a dog, a cat and a hamster. My dog’s name is Sadie and she likes to jump on people and wag her tail so hard. Sometimes she goes wild when she sees people. She starts to bark if she sees squirrels or birds. She’ll just jump on the tree and put her paws there, and then just jump and bark at them to get their attention. They still just go up and up so she can’t reach them. And my cat, Dulce, he’s 9 years old and my dog is 5. He is one big cat and he’s really lazy, and sometimes he’s really shy about Sadie. Sometimes he comes downstairs but he usually stays in my sister’s room. He likes to sleep and if you bother him, he’ll be really mad and hiss at you. My sister has a hamster named Franklin and he’s just a baby, like 0 years old or 1. He likes to chew on those bars for your cages. Even now he looks like he has a jungle for his cage.

Of those three pets do you have a favorite?

It’s Sadie.

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I met a lot of new kids with this year that I’ve known since second grade but I never got to be friends with them. I actually became friends with them this year and they became like my best friends. Mrs. Klee was really good this year. I was really excited that I got to be in her class and meet all the new people.

And you’re to middle school next year. What do you think about that?

I’m not going to middle school here; I’m moving to Montana. But I’m really excited for that.

My dad’s retiring from the military after 20 years and we get to choose where we get to go this time. I’m looking forward to all the mountain climbing and things that we couldn’t do here, like skiing and snowboarding.

When are you leaving?

The moving truck came this week but we’re leaving in August. I still have a lot of swim practice and swim meets to come. I just want to spend time with people before I leave.  It’s going to be a fun summer.

Father’s Day is Sunday. Any special plans?

My dad is super chill. He wants things that help him with life, like an Apple Watch or something that measures the temperature of his grill.

What do you like best about your dad?

My dad doesn’t get angry. He’s really patient and he always gives us other chances.

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I feel like it’s just the beginning of what really matters in my life, kind of starting the rest of it – getting a profession, a career.

What do you want to do in the future?

I plan on going to med school. I’m going to the University of Alabama to study chemical engineering for pre-med.

What does graduation mean to you?

It means I’ve come too far to fall short.

Anything you want to share with your teachers or classmates?

Thanks for being there with me, and we made it!

I am more excited than anything because I have been working 12 years to get to this point and while it’s not the end of my education, it is a landmark event in my life. And, it’s something I am going to look back on and say that I was able to become a high school graduate. I’m not saying goodbye to the school system. I’m not saying goodbye to all of my friends because they are going to be in my life. I’m also wanting to be a teacher once I graduate college. So, this isn’t really “goodbye,” it’s more “see you later.”

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For me, it’s just a new chapter in my life. It’s an ending, but I am about to start something new. It’s exciting.

What’s the new?

I’m going back to Ohio. I lived there for five years and my grandma is out there. And I’ll be doing a pre-nursing concentration, then going into nursing.

What made you want to go into nursing?

I just like taking care of people. I’ll be dealing with babies. I love babies and children so I will definitely be taking care of them.

Anything you want to say to you teachers or classmates?

For someone who transferred into Tallwood as a sophomore, I just want to say thank you to everyone for making me feel welcome and slowly progressing into getting involved at Tallwood.

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To me, graduation means accomplishment. It’s a challenge going through all those years of school. It’s hard. It’s not easy.

What kept you going?

My parents. They taught me you can do anything you put your mind to.

What are doing after graduation?

I want to be psychiatrist. I just love to help people and I feel like there’s people out there that just need me.

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I’m from Romania. I’ve been here for three years with NATO and we’re leaving this month. It’s kind of sad. I’ve been doing a lot of things and I’ve been in clubs such as Maker Challenge, Academic Challenge, debate, forensics – a lot of things. I got into NJHS this year. I also got Most Outstanding in English this year for eighth grade, which is kind of surprising because I’m not a native speaker.

This is my second time in America. I was here for fourth grade, though in Rhode Island. Then I went back to Romania for fifth grade and I’ve been back here for all of middle school.

Now what happens?

And now I’m going back – for how long, I don’t know. School ends on Friday and I’m leaving on Saturday.

What have you liked best about your experiences in the United States?

I love the people here because they’re all so nice and friendly, and all the teachers help you. It’s very engaging in the community.

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I have mixed emotions at graduation time.  It is exciting to see my former students taking the next step and graduating. I think about the opportunities that are in front of them. I’m also sad because life is changing and they are moving on.

When I see students in their regalia I realize this is a big step in their lives, and I get emotional. I have to fight back the tears. This was especially true with Hannah because we are close. I’ve known her even before she was my kindergarten student, and now our families are connected. She is my daughter’s sister-in-law. Her brother is a deployed Marine married to my daughter.

I’m extremely proud of all of my former students because I know the hard work it takes to get to this point. To reach this graduation milestone they’ve had to be academically successful and develop life skills. I believe this foundation will prepare them for success in their future.

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I came to Virginia like one week after the hurricanes in Puerto Rico. I was there for both of them. When there was no water and electricity, we didn’t go to school. My mom sent me here to be with my dad so I could be in a school with lights and water so I could learn easier because I’m a sixth-grader and I’m learning harder stuff than my sister. She’s almost in first grade and she is in Puerto Rico with my mom.

I’ve been in Virginia for five months right now. I’ve tried my best to keep my grades up and try and learn everything here at Great Neck.

When I’m not at school I usually go play with my friends outside. Ever since the pool opened we’ve gone a few times. Sometimes I just stay at home and play with my dad.

Is there anything else you would want people to know about you?

I usually like to help a lot of people. For example, my great grandmother, when she had trouble with the stairs I helped her. She’s not here anymore but we had a good time. We used to play a lot of board games; we played cards and all that. She taught me how to play solitaire.

Do you know how long you’ll be here in Virginia Beach?

After Father’s Day, my mom is going to come and pick me up and we’re going to go visit a friend of ours only a few hours away from here. Then we’ll go back to Puerto Rico.

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I started here in ’09 as an RN. I started with the school division in 1992. I started as a CNA, certified nursing assistant, at Salem High School. Then I went back to school and became a licensed practical nurse, LPN, still at Salem High. Then I went back to school to become a registered nurse, RN, and in 2006 became an RN.

Before then I was a computer technician for 10 years. I worked for Sovran Bank. They turned into C&S/Sovran and then Bank of America, so we lost our jobs. We could go back to school for anything other than computers, so I went for medical. When I first started college, back in 1979, I started in nursing then switched to business management/computer science. My mom got really sick; she was sick the day before I graduated high school. We found out she had colon cancer. She passed when I was 19; she was 43 years old. I had taken some time off from college to take care of her. We did have a nurse but she was only part-time, so I filled in.

Once I lost my job, I said: You know, I’m going back for nursing. And I did. And I love it. I really love it – better than computers. I’ve always been interested in the human body and just learning. I think it’s amazing – the things it can do on it’s own. I just wanted to learn more about that and then help others to understand what’s going on in their body and what they can do to prevent illnesses and so forth.

I love the children here. Some of them – when they gave me the cards I have hanging up for Nurse’s Day – they say that I’m like a mother to them. To me, that’s a compliment in two different ways. They say I’m like a mother when really I’m old enough to be their grandmother, and I enjoy just being here for them and for the parents to take care of them while the parents are working.

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It was a really cool experience to do it because I’ve been working for it my whole life. Ever since I was a little kid I’ve loved to spell, and I’ve always wanted to go to the Scripps National Spelling Bee. It’s always been a goal of mine, and I finally achieved it this year. I got 42^nd out of 515, which was pretty cool.

Basically, I knew the alphabet before I could walk – that was a big gift for me. And then as I progressed – in first, second and third grade – I won all of my spelling bees in my classrooms. Then I started to think, I can really do this. I’m in eighth grade so it was my last year for it. I’m happy I did it.

What was the best part of the national competition?

Obviously there were kids from all around the world, which was very cool. And it was really cool to see ESPN and all the broadcasts and everything. It was a good experience.

Would you have been able to spell the winning word?

Koinonia. Yeah, probably. That was an easy one.

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We’re in the Maker Challenge. I think to present our product to the judges…it might be a little stressful at first but then if you really think about it, they either like it or they hate it.

What is your product?

It’s a watch that you can rent at the beach and the lifeguard has a controller station on the stand. He can alert certain people or everyone with the watch of any dangerous things nearby or of anything that’s happening. So, some of the buttons are: there is a red flag, high tide, low tide, vibration, dangerous animal nearby. Stuff like that.

Why is that important?

 Because there is a lot of dangerous stuff at the beach and people might not know it’s there. So, like an animal, maybe a lifeguard can see it because he is higher up. And people might want to know if it’s high tide or low tide because the water is higher and lower at certain points, so someone may want to know if they can swim in that or not. The swimmer can actually press a button on the watch and alert the lifeguard if they are in trouble.

#WeAreVBSchools

I was in industrial sales for 30 years and then I retired to The Villages, Florida, for three years. I thought: Gosh, I miss Virginia Beach. I’m from Virginia Beach. I went to Thalia Elementary; I went to Kempsville Junior High – no air conditioning – and then to Princess Anne, Class of 1968.

I didn’t know I was going to be a bus driver. I saw signs everywhere: Gotta have bus drivers! Gotta have bus drivers! I’ve been here about 4 months. My niece drove for them for about eight years or so and she loved it. That’s how I became a bus driver and I love it. I’d rather drive this than my car. And the transportation department – training, dispatch and maintenance – they’re amazing.

I’ve been a professional drummer for 53 years. So I think the entertainment part – my personality flows into this so much because I love kids. I have two boys who are grown. One is in Raleigh. The other is in Akron, Ohio. I love to be around people. And my hobby is that I build porch swings, yard swings, deck swings – that kind of thing. I’ve been doing it for 45 years.

Is there anything else you would want people to know about you?

Do the best you can where you are.

#WeAreVBSchools #WeAreWednesdays

I was in the Navy for 20 years. I was an aviation electrician’s mate. I worked on the F-14 and the F/A-18 Super Hornet. I took two years off after I retired to spend some time with my son because I had done 7.5 deployments. I missed a lot with him. So I came in and started working here because then I could have my summers with him. He was in fourth grade then and he is a freshman in high school now. I just was able to make up a lot of time that I missed because kindergarten, first and second grades, I was almost never home. I was always somewhere.

What do you like best about your job as a security assistant?

I think the best part about my job is that I get to help all the kids. Instead of just being a classroom with one student, I get to help with everybody. So if I see someone coming in in the morning and it’s an unusually sad face, I’ll make sure I say “hi” to them, give them a hug and tell them to have a good day. Or sometimes, if we have a student that is having a hard day, they can come up and have lunch with me and just talk about what’s going on, and we can see if we can figure out a better way to handle things. I think more so at the elementary level – yes, I’m a security assistant – but I’m also just here for all the kids to help them out too.

#WeAreVBSchools #WeAreWednesdays