{"id":1072,"date":"2014-06-05T00:25:26","date_gmt":"2014-06-05T00:25:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lovettsvillehistoricalsociety.org\/?p=1072"},"modified":"2016-11-10T23:02:34","modified_gmt":"2016-11-10T23:02:34","slug":"beloved-lovettsville-teacher-retires-after-decades-of-service-purcellville-gazette-2014","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lovettsvillehistoricalsociety.org\/index.php\/beloved-lovettsville-teacher-retires-after-decades-of-service-purcellville-gazette-2014\/","title":{"rendered":"Beloved Lovettsville Teacher Retires After Decades of Service – Purcellville Gazette (2014)"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Rachel Leon, Purcellville Gazette<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

June 5, 2014<\/span><\/p>\n

Lovettsville Elementary 5th grade teacher Edward Davis retires this month after 39 years of teaching, 21 of which were spent in Lovettsville.His last day is June 17, and his last day teaching his students is June 13.\u00a0Over 200 students, former students, teachers, and parents turned out May 29 for a surprise retirement party in his honor.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy best moments are in this community,\u201d Davis said.\u00a0\u201cEvery time I drive up Route 287 and pull into here, I just thank God that I\u2019m at this school.\u00a0I can\u2019t imagine teaching at a better place.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Davis, a Shepherdstown, W.Va., resident, grew up south of Pittsburgh, Pa., and has always enjoyed being in a teaching role.\u00a0Even as a young teen, he coached younger boys in a recreational baseball league, because most of the men in the area were steel workers who were busy during the day.<\/span><\/p>\n

He first moved to West Virginia in 1975 for a teaching position at Blue Ridge Elementary, right on the border of Loudoun.\u00a0He began teaching at Lovettsville 26 years ago.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I came here, I remember going home and telling my wife, \u2018There\u2019s something special about that place,\u2019\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After teaching at Lovettsville for a few years, he worked as the first assistant principal at Ashburn Elementary for five years, before returning to Lovettsville to teach 5th grade because he missed working with kids.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdministrators aren\u2019t teachers,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u201cThey\u2019re firefighters.\u00a0When there\u2019s a problem, they have to fight that fire.\u00a0They don\u2019t have a lot of interactions with kids.\u00a0They do, but a lot of times it\u2019s a negative.\u00a0I didn\u2019t like that.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Davis wanted to feel happy and fulfilled, and he said he\u2019s felt that while teaching at Lovettsville Elementary.<\/span><\/p>\n

Over the years, Davis has had to adapt to changing expectations of teachers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t just try to impart knowledge and wisdom,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u201cNow you\u2019re a nurse, you\u2019re a counselor, you\u2019re a helper.\u00a0They taught us that teachers are in the place of parents when the children are there.\u00a0You really are.\u00a0It\u2019s all-encompassing.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Loudoun has grown dramatically in Davis\u2019 years of teaching.\u00a0When he first got hired, there were only about 12,000 students in the entire county.\u00a0Now there are over 70,000.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite the growth, Lovettsville Elementary has remained a welcoming and close-knit community, Davis said, with parents and teachers that work well together.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEvery year is different, and every day is different,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u201cThat\u2019s what I like about teaching.\u00a0This has been the best place I\u2019ve ever been in my life.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Party honors memories<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

The teachers and parents first formed a celebration committee back in December to start planning Davis\u2019 retirement party.\u00a0They sent out invitations to as many former students as they could, and made announcements at local middle and high schools.\u00a0Over 200 people said they\u2019d be there, although some current students said they couldn\u2019t make it because of sports.\u00a0However, the rain that night canceled many sports activities, and some of those students were able to make it after all.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The celebration was held in the cafeteria at Lovettsville Elementary.\u00a0The students followed a script written by Lovettsville Elementary music teacher Sarah Stillman and one of the parents.\u00a0At one point, all the current and former students got up on stage and sang \u201cYou\u2019ve Got a Friend in Me,\u201d from Toy Story.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was like an ocean wave,\u201d Lovettsville Elementary 4th grade teacher Jodi Hillebrand said of the students and former students swarming onto the stage.\u00a0The number of students and former students was estimated at about 80.\u00a0Two former students even stood with their children, who are current students.<\/span><\/p>\n

The students and alumni left the stage to Stillman\u2019s revised version of \u201cSo Long, Farewell.\u201d The celebration also featured a segment in which students stood out of Davis\u2019 sight and shared memories of their experiences, and he had to guess the student by name.\u00a0During the party, Davis was presented with a memory scrapbook, filled with dozens of letters from students and former students.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The party caught him completely by surprise, and he said he was blown away.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m humbled,\u201d he said, his voice wavering a little with emotion.<\/span><\/p>\n

Not just a teacher<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

His friends and colleagues spoke warmly of their years working with him.\u00a0Lovettsville 4th grade teacher Stephanie Moore helped with the retirement party, and has known Davis for 18 years.\u00a0She described him as being \u201clike a dad\u201d to her.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe would do anything in the world for his friends,\u201d she said.\u00a0\u201cHe would give the shirt off his back for them.\u00a0He is the best friend anybody could ask for.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Moore said Davis is both a great teacher and a role model, and that he is always willing to listen and help solve problems.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe really cares about his kids,\u201d she said.\u00a0\u201cHe teaches them not just about education, but about life.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Stillman echoed Moore\u2019s comments, calling Davis a \u201cnatural educator.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe has a true love for education and children,\u201d she said.\u00a0\u201cHe is a dynamic speaker.\u00a0He brings history to life.\u00a0He captures your attention.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Stillman has worked at Lovettsville Elementary for 14 years, and Davis has been there the entire time.\u00a0Davis sometimes helped out with Stillman\u2019s music projects.\u00a0When she put together a country band with the students, Davis dressed up in overalls and played the washboard.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEvery year he is our Santa Claus when my kids sing at the Loudoun County Senior Citizens Holiday Lunch,\u201d she said.\u00a0\u201cHe comes in as Santa Claus and he passes out candy canes to all the senior citizens.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Stillman described Davis as an \u201camazing person.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe has an incredibly strong faith,\u201d she said.\u00a0\u201cHe is very patriotic.\u00a0He is very devoting to his family.\u00a0And he loves teaching, and that shows.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hillebrand, who also helped with the retirement party, has worked with Davis for ten years, and will be moving to 5th grade next year to replace him.<\/span><\/p>\n

Davis was on the panel to interview Hillebrand before she started at Lovettsville Elementary.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe did not smile throughout the entire interview,\u201d she said.\u00a0\u201cAnd he goes, \u2018I have a final question.\u2019 And he said, \u2018What would you do if you came to your door in the morning and you found vaseline on the door handle?\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Davis then cracked the barest hint of a smile.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI looked at him and I giggled and I said, \u2018Bring it on,\u2019\u201d Hillebrand said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI knew when you answered that question that you were meant to be at this school,\u201d Davis replied.<\/span><\/p>\n

That day was the beginning of years of shared practical jokes and friendship between the two teachers.\u00a0When Hillebrand showed up for her first day, she found vaseline on her door handle.\u00a0The two teachers also duct taped each other\u2019s doors shut, tacked posters to the ceiling with confetti piled on the top, placed shredded paper and hole punch dots in drawers and desks, and switched around their desks so that the tops were arranged exactly the same, though the contents of all the drawers were different.<\/span><\/p>\n

But aside from the practical jokes, Davis\u2019 friendship has meant a lot to Hillebrand.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTruly and honestly, if you needed anything from him, he would be there for you.\u00a0It\u2019s amazing how many students he\u2019s touched, and how he tells them he loves them every day,\u201d she said.\u00a0\u201cWhen they walk through the door, he says, \u2018Try your best.\u00a0I love you.\u00a0I care for you.\u2019 He\u2019s not just a teacher.\u00a0He\u2019s a mentor, a dad to all of these kids, and they truly look up to him.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s next for Davis?\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Davis is going to miss working with his students, and with his colleagues, who he considers his friends, but his life isn\u2019t going to stop after Lovettsville Elementary.\u00a0His wife, Betty Davis, has been a survivor of breast cancer for nine years, and five years ago, she had a brain aneurysm.\u00a0Though she recovered fully and is still teaching today, her 18 days in intensive care brought Davis into contact with a lot of the other hurting and worried friends and family members of those in the hospital.\u00a0Davis remembers those emotions well.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat first night I left from the hospital, I thought I was going to be calling the funeral home the next day,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When he retires, he\u2019s going to approach hospital chaplains to see if he can help out by visiting hospital waiting rooms one or two days a week and sitting with and comforting family and friends of those who are receiving care.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, sometimes people just need someone to sit next to them and listen to them,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u201cMaybe they\u2019re lonely.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Davis also wants to learn how to cook.\u00a0His wife will still be teaching for a few more years, and he wants to have meals ready when she gets back home.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s how I met her,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u201cI was a short order cook.\u00a0She came by with one of her friends one day and sat behind me while I was flipping hamburgers, and I started talking to her, and one thing led to another.\u00a0But flipping hamburgers and cooking are two different things.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou have served\u201d\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Davis told Lovettsville Elementary parent Beth Creighton once that he regretted never serving in the military.\u00a0Creighton, who has served in the military, had the Department of Defense write up a proclamation honoring Davis\u2019 years of service in teaching.\u00a0At the retirement party, she presented him with a flag that had flown in his name over the Pentagon on Feb.\u00a04.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou think you haven\u2019t served, but you have served,\u201d Creighton told him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat she said just touched my heart,\u201d Davis said.\u00a0\u201cIt was something I\u2019m never going to forget.\u00a0I\u2019m getting tears in my eyes just thinking about it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

http:\/\/purcellvillegazette.com\/beloved-lovettsville-teacher-retires-decades-service\/<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Rachel Leon, Purcellville Gazette June 5, 2014 Lovettsville Elementary 5th grade teacher Edward Davis retires this month after 39 years of teaching, 21 of which were spent in Lovettsville.His…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1073,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1072","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newspaper"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lovettsvillehistoricalsociety.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1072","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lovettsvillehistoricalsociety.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lovettsvillehistoricalsociety.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lovettsvillehistoricalsociety.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lovettsvillehistoricalsociety.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1072"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.lovettsvillehistoricalsociety.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1072\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1075,"href":"https:\/\/www.lovettsvillehistoricalsociety.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1072\/revisions\/1075"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lovettsvillehistoricalsociety.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1073"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lovettsvillehistoricalsociety.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1072"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lovettsvillehistoricalsociety.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1072"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lovettsvillehistoricalsociety.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1072"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}