001I' I've spent most of my life uh here in Henry County. Grew up here in Henry County and then uh went to Campbell Court, Basset Middle, uh and then Basset High School. Um and uh was very active uh in the schools all throughout. Uh did band uh played sports, was involved with academic teams, uh so did a lot of different things during during my high school experience and really enjoyed it. And so when I went to uh college at at JMU, uh I knew that uh you know somewhere down deep inside I wanted to be a teacher. Um this is my first year as an assistant principal at Fieldale Collinsville Middle School. This is my 24th year in Henry County Public Schools. I started as a PE teacher. I did that for 12 years and
002then spent the last 11 years as a school counselor. Incidentally, my mother um retired after 33 years in Henry County and she started her career as a PE teacher, moved on to being a school counselor and then retired after 6 years as an administrator. My legacy story is that I was a student here at Rich Acres. Um so, uh elementary school I was at Rich Acres and then middle school I went to Drewry Mason. Um and then I went to Magna Vista. So I was so happy to return here um as the principal here at Rich Acres. I was from elementary school all the way through high school. I I had so many great teachers. Uh it was really in my elementary days where I started you know having a kind of an inkling and
003a passion for teaching. Um I I you know I I would you know and even teaching history. I would uh I I remember times as a kid uh teaching my stuff animals about the presidents and and everything as a as a as a little boy. And so um so I think it it was always something that always was at the you know in the back of my mind as a career field. But as I got older and got into college, uh, and started really thinking about what I wanted to do, um, you know, as a career, um, education just just came right up there because, you know, it was I I've I've always had a passion for helping people. Um, and, you know, I I love history. Um, and I love helping, you know, people
004and talking about history and teaching history. And so that just became a very natural thing for me to want to to get into. It was just, you know, um, you know, my positive experiences as a student through Inger County Public Schools then made me want to to to pay it pay it forward and so to speak and become an educator myself. I kind of fell into education in a sense. I think growing up with a mother that was in education, I was always around the school system. I mean, I was, you know, out of school on teacher work days. I was, my mom was a coach, so I was at the basketball courts or the ball fields, but I've just always been in a school. um been around school so it was a comfortable thing
005for me. Um after I graduated from college I moved to Greensboro for a year and tried some different things and then just you know came back there was an opening actually here at FC for PE teacher um and I went for it got it and it began from there. But once I got into education I knew pretty much immediately that that's what I wanted to spend my career doing. I've always wanted to be a teacher. Um, I have two sisters and I would make them be in my classroom and um, we would play school all the time. I would play school with my with my little stuffed animals. I just always wanted to be a teacher. You know, we have a very low cost of living here in Henry County. I mean, what it what
006it takes to to to live here compared to other communities, even nearby is is much cheaper here in Henry County. Um, and and also we're close to other things. I mean, you know, where, you know, where I live, it's only a 30-minute drive down to Greensboro. Um, you know, if I if I want to go, you know, to shopping or different things and stuff like that. I think as a community as a whole, uh, we offer a lot of amenities and things for, um, especially young families, uh, with our our parks and recreation department. Um, you know, the Smith River Sports Complex is a huge uh thing that a lot of communities don't have. Having worked in other communities in recent years, uh, it it is the envy of our community. People talk about it
007all the time. Oh, you have that great sports complex and and and everything. And so, it is we have a lot of things going great here in this county. And it's a great place to live and you're close by other places. And for me personally, I'm not the type of person that wants to live in a big city. um that was never appealing to me. Um you know, Harrisonburg, Virginia was a little bit too big for me when I was in college. And so I think being here at Henry County, you have that small town feel, but when you do need a taste of of a bigger more urban area, it's not far away. Whether it's going south to Greensboro, going north to Roanoke, or even going over to Danville, um we're close by to
008a lot of of different things that are within very very very doable driving distance. Um, you know, I love Henry County. It's home to me. Um, again, you know, the school system has always felt like a a small town, close-knit um place, and I like that. Um, I love being home. I've always been a homebody. I like to go out and travel, but I also, you know, prefer to be here home. Uh, it's comfortable for me. But Henry County Schools, you know, it's it's been my whole life, whether it was, you know, as a a daughter, you know, or as a student myself and then, you know, now as a parent of Henry County School students and an employee. Well, I will tell you the benefits are wonderful. Um, I know a lot of times
009we don't think about insurance. Um, but if you have a family, um, the insurance is is wonderful. I mean, and also Henry County is just a good place. It's quiet, it's small. Um, I think you get a lot of support here in Henry County Public schools. Working for Henry County Columbus schools has had a had a tremendous impact on my career. And I've thought about this a lot. Um, you know, um, I, you know, I I've had the opportunity at Henry County Public Schools to advance, um, you know, through through my career, starting off as a classroom teacher. I was given opportunities very early on, um, to take on leadership roles at Magna Vista High School, which then led to me going into uh, administration. Uh, and you know, I had the opportunities to advance
010and move my career administratively. And I have often wondered and thought if I chose to work in other school divisions, would I have had that same, you know, opportunity to advance the way that I've been able to advance through Henry County Public Schools? So, one thing I would say to especially young folks who are getting into the career and maybe are looking at, you know, I'm not thinking about, you know, career advancement right now, but looking at it down the road, you know, Henry County is a place that that does offer, you know, individuals that opportunity to to advance and move their career. There's the obvious things like we have competitive pay and competitive benefits to any of the counties around us, but I think also we have a great team in Henry County. I
011think that we are always working as a team, as a division to get better. Um, you know, and sometimes that is, you know, trying new things to keep up with, you know, education is always a field that's changing and and children are changing. And so, we're always trying new things to to make sure that we're doing what we need to get kids ready for the future. And so, I I like that about Henry County. I like the focus on um you know the students and producing them as citizens. Well, I will tell you working in Henry County um public schools, I have um gained family. Um I have worked in various roles in various schools and I will say in every school that I have been in, it's been a family environment. Um I will
012um when I first started in Henry County, I started Axton Elementary teaching first grade. I was there for 12 years and they were my first Henry County family and I am still um close with them today. They helped me to name my son and helped to raise my first son. So um everywhere that I go, even here at Rich Acres now, I mean they're my family. I think my favorite thing about uh just just teaching here and and and being an administrator here. I mean, I've been I've been a teacher uh here in Henry County Schools for for 9 years and then work administratively for about gosh about about six six years I think now kind of this year. So, I've been here for a while even though I've taken a little bit of a
013break and worked somewhere else. But I think, you know, I think one of the things that I've loved is just especially being here for a long time is seeing, you know, students who are who are now my parents and and seeing their kids now coming through and just build having those those those relationships and being able to, you know, say, "All right, you know, hey, I knew you as a as a student and now um I I see your kids coming through." And just having those those close relationships. We've got great kids in Henry County. Um, you know, I mean, they're they're they they're they're good kids and and and it's just it's just good to just I I just for me as a local product who grew up in this area, I I'm just
014passionate about Martinsville-Henry County. I love this place and I and I just love just giving back and seeing the next generations continuing to get the the same education, the same opportunities, the same future that was given to me. you know, coming up with a favorite memory is really hard because I have I have a ton of great memories of my time here. Um I I would probably pinpoint two. Um the last few years that I was at Meadow View, I worked with some other great leaders there at the school and we implemented a house system there which was a great way for the students to build connections and relationships and it took a lot of work and it took a lot of research and um and it was just it was a really fun thing
015and it was something I became passionate about and working with some other people to do that um and then to see that it's continued on there has been something I've been very proud of. And then I would say the other thing would probably be the first day on the job here when I pulled into my parking spot and the sign in front of me, you know, had FC admin and that was a very full circle moment, you know, to be a graduate of Fieldale Collinsville High School to start my career here, you know, for a year as a PE teacher and then to come back now as a, you know, as a school leader. It's just that was a very full circle moment. It's something I'm proud of and I'm very humbled, you know, to
016have the opportunity to be here and do that. I was on the administrative team. um when um we helped to open Metaview. So I was a part of making decisions for Mete furniture um color palettes, things like that. Um but I will also say becoming principal here at Rich Acres. I mean that's been my most me memorable um accomplishment I think coming back to my my home school.