Ever since she can remember, Mrs. Connie Campos said she has been teaching.

“Teaching is not something you learn; it’s something that is pre-programed into you—a desire to affect change and stimulate the mind,” Campos said.

Five Hoover teachers known for stimulating the minds of their students will retire this year, bringing an end to an era of many important programs. Campos, Ms. Connie Hubbard, Mrs. Deb Lea, Ms. Pam McCarthy and Mr. George Orphanides will retire this year.

Lifelong Learning

Campos said her interest in teaching culinary arts stemmed from her experience in the restaurant industry.

“I married into the restaurant business and gained valuable experience about the business that I have been able to incorporate at Hoover,” she said.

Despite her love for the Culinary Arts, Campos said that her real interest is “lifelong learning.”

“I am jealous of students in high school,” she said. “There are so many opportunities and it is to everyone’s advantage to take an interest in learning.”

Much of her life has been devoted to this lifelong education, Campos said, as she recalled substituting for a small engine repair course during her first few years of teaching.

“I knew nothing about small engine repair, so instead I asked [the students] to teach me,” she said.

“I still learn new things everyday,” Campos said. “I’m all for new ideas, even if they don’t always work out.”

Campos said she plans to travel and use her free time to participate in activities she couldn’t do as a teacher.

“I want to be able to do these things while I am able,” she said, “and I am sure that whether the new teacher is from the industry or an education background that they will be able to bring something new and valuable to the course.”

A Mind for Curiosity

Ms. Connie Hubbard said she has a similar interest in learning, and is motivated by the desire to learn more.

“Some might call it nosiness, but I have always wanted to know why things are the way they are and that’s what motivates me the most,” Hubbard said.

Unlike regular course work, Hubbard said her Science and Experimental Research Program (SERP) has allowed both herself and her students a unique learning opportunity.

“Were the class more of a memorization course, less would be taken from the experience,” she said, “and that is important because without hands-on experience, you tend to understand things less.”

Her desire to learn more has been translated into her classroom, where she advises her SERP students on their projects.

“I love to learn with my students and [to be] able to see young minds become interested in science everyday is a treat,” she said.

After retiring, Hubbard said she plans to continue doing research at The University of Akron.

Teaching Life Lessons

What began as something to do while her kids were going to school become a passion for Mrs. Deb Lea who has coached track, cross country and swimming, as well as taught physical education.

Lea said her role as a teacher is often focused on individual goals for her students and working to achieve a level of success.

“I’m here to help people,” Lea said. “I act as a facilitator trying to see where students are and work to bring them to where they want and should be.”

Serving as the facilitator, though, she said, isn’t always easy.

“Often times students tend to resist but when they look back years down the road, they realize that what they learned isn’t just about meeting those goals but keeping on that track to meeting other goals,” she said.

Although Lea said she will continue with teaching and recertifying her life-guarding, she said that she never knows what the future will hold.

“Never say never,” she said. “Who knows where I will be in 10 years and what I will be doing.”

One thing she said she knew for certain was that she would miss the staff and students at Hoover.

“I’ve had a lot of fun, and great experiences and no matter what I end up doing, I will never forget that,” she said.

Reporting What Matters

Like Campos, Ms. Pam McCarthy got her start in the industry, working first at the Akron Beacon Journal and then in Public Relations at U.S. Steel and BF Goodrich.

McCarthy said her journalism was not immediately what she wanted to teach.

“I wanted the job teaching English and the newspaper came with the job,” McCarthy said.

From her first class of 10 journalism students to the current Viking Views staff of 37, McCarthy has advised one of Ohio’s award-winning student newsmagazines.

McCarthy said the success is due to her students.

“I do what I do for the students—that’s why we all do it—and I will miss them all greatly,” McCarthy said.

As for The Viking Views, McCarthy said the students and the new adviser will improve and continue to work hard to put out the publication.

“The students won’t allow it to fail,” she said. “I am very confident in my staff and that the new adviser will be just as committed to the success of this publication.”

B.C.

Mr. George Orphanides likes to think of his career as before and after B.C.—Before Computers, that is.

“I like to say I started B.C., teaching students to type on a manual keyboard, eventually moving on to teach on automatic typewriters, and now to the computer,”

Orphanides said.

Orphanides, who has taught at North Canton City School for the past 35 years, said that he has seen other changes besides technology ones.

“I started seeing a difference between how students act—they finally realized that what they learn [in school] matters,” he said.

Like many of the other retiring teachers, Orphanides said he hopes to leave behind a legacy of being someone who is passionate about what he does.

“I hope people remember me not only for knowing what I was doing but caring about what I did,” he said. “If they don’t think I cared, it won’t be the same.”

Saying Goodbye

Mrs. Mary Jo Rabb, a Hoover secretary, has seen at least four principals pass through the halls during her 31-year career.

Of all of the memories at Hoover, Rabb said she will miss most the daily interactions with the students and staff.

“I will miss how they always would stop in and say ‘hi.’ It just made my day that much better,” Rabb said.

Also retiring are Mrs. Peg Deibel, Curriculum and Instruction Supervisor for grades 7-12 and Mrs. Vicki Hammond, Director of Special Education.