Photo by Aila Boyd
By Aila Boyd and Claire Kivior
aboyd@mainstreetnewspapers.com
Editor’s Note: This article marks the second Educator of the Month. The honor was created through a partnership between The Herald and Botetourt County Public Schools. Each month, educators throughout the school division have the opportunity to nominate a fellow educator for this honor. An educator, as defined for the purposes of this honor, is anyone who works in the school division and positively impacts the lives of students. Winners are selected based on who receives the most nominations. In order to be nominated, educators have to exhibit at least one of the following: support, high expectations, accountability, consistency, positivity, or grit. The Educator of the Month articles appear in The Herald on the third Wednesday of every month.
Marie Hoback, the secretary and bookkeeper at Greenfield Elementary School, was declared the Educator of the Month for October.
Hoback has worked at Greenfield for over six years, and can’t imagine being anywhere else. Each day, Hoback is one of the first staff members to arrive at Greenfield. She starts each and every morning by greeting the students and organizing transportation, before attending to the needs of her peers.
Greenfield Elementary serves a rapidly growing community. The school currently has 409 students. Hoback oversees not only the needs of the large student population and their families, but other staff members as well. Despite the large group which Hoback handles, she makes time to attend to the needs of each and every student.
Laura Camp, the principal of Greenfield Elementary, described Hoback as “the face of our wonderful school. She makes the main office a warm and inviting place to visit. Every student, teacher, parent, and visitor that enters the school office, immediately feels welcome. Mrs. Hoback is a very talented and kind individual. She is always willing to help others and dedicates much of her personal time. Our school community is beyond blessed to have her.”
Superintendent of Botetourt County Public Schools Dr. Lisa Chen characterized Hoback as “kind and very knowledgeable. When you call on the phone, she sets the tone for the school by trying to be as helpful as she can. If she is unable to answer the question, she immediately looks up the answer without hesitation. She is a consummate professional, and she is there to serve.”
Hoback is originally from Knoxville, Tenn., but has lived in Roanoke since the early 1980s. Switching to her current position was a major career change. Before Greenfield, Hoback worked in the medical and banking fields. She has always been involved with her two daughters’ schools, which helped spark an interest in the education field. As soon as she saw the position at Greenfield open, she knew she had to apply.
“I’m very lucky because I have an opportunity to interact with not only our faculty and staff, but the parents and the children. Being able to interact with so many members of our Greenfield community, that’s what I enjoy the most,” said Hoback. “We’re a growing school, where the needs are increasing.”
Hoback considers herself very fortunate to be able to spend her workday at Greenfield. She said that she felt welcomed the moment she entered the building, and is looking forward to serving her community for many years to come.
“My focus is to make all families feel welcome, regardless of what their circumstances may be. My goal is to always make them feel that they are welcome here, and feel a part of the Greenfield family. To know, the moment they walk in the door, that they are loved, and cared for. Being here is a feeling I hope permeates throughout the building, and out into the community as well,” she said.
Photo by Aila Boyd