Passing the Torch
A year ago, we bid farewell to 10 colleagues who retired with a combined 325 years on North Mooreland Road.
By all accounts, they’re enjoying good health, their families, and the freedom that comes when their lives don’t revolve around the agrarian calendar and a bell schedule that kept them hopping.
This year, seven take their leave.
They represent 187 years of service to Collegiate.
By all accounts, they’re enjoying good health, their families, and the freedom that comes when their lives don’t revolve around the agrarian calendar and a bell schedule that kept them hopping.
This year, seven take their leave.
They represent 187 years of service to Collegiate.
All have been in the workplace far longer than their tours of duty as teachers, staff members, and coaches.
All have enjoyed the experience.
All have performed their duties with excellence, perpetuated the culture of caring and mutual support, and made their students and colleagues better.
Even as they pass the torch, all will remain part of the fabric of the school.
Cheryl Rothschild has been the assistant to the head of the Lower School and jack-of-all-trades in the office for 28 years.
Quite often, she’s the first contact – and first impression – for those with questions, concerns, or words of praise. She’s been a problem-solver and calming presence, especially when school life is running at breakneck speed.
Once she signs off in June, she and her husband Jim, an architect who is also retiring, will travel a bit, enjoy a more leisurely pace, and spend time with their son Adam, his wife Allison, and their children Landon and Alexis.
“My best memories of Collegiate,” Cheryl said, “are the wonderful people I’ve worked with.
“I’ll really miss them.”
Ann Staples joined the Collegiate family in 1998 after 27 years in the Henrico County system.
She arrived with a wealth of experience, which she willingly and gracefully shared with her colleagues and 3rd grade students, and quickly made her mark as a trusted friend, advocate, and teammate. Her attention to detail and optimistic outlook are legendary. She has commanded respect with her steady hand, her sense of humor, and her ability to create a warm, safe environment for her students.
All these years later, Ann recalls her very first faculty meeting when Dr. Beverly Sgro, the interim head, shared impressive statistics about faculty and staff retention. She recalls the overwhelming applause when a host of her new colleagues were recognized for their longevity, commitment, and loyalty to the school.
“That was the moment I knew I had come to a special place,” she said. “That feeling has never changed.”
You’d be hard pressed to find a more ardent supporter of Collegiate athletics than the inimitable Roger “Doc” Hailes.
Doc has taught English for 40 years. He was one of the few male teachers in the Girls School and with the change in structure in 1986 made the transition to the Upper School.
He knows Chaucer and Shakespeare and Hemingway as well as any.
He also knows a long lineage of Collegiate students, their parents, and their grandparents and understands full well the culture of the school going back generations.
“I came here under Mac Pitt,” Doc says of the long-time, venerable head of school.
“The best single piece of advice he game me was to look at these students as if they were my own children.”
His best memory from his four decades on North Mooreland?
“Meeting my wife Deborah (who teaches MS Spanish),” he said without hesitation. “We connected in McFall Hall over lunch and got to know one another.
“I’m really lucky.”
In retirement, Doc plans read – he’s into biography after years of teaching fiction – and enjoy his family.
He’ll also be a regular in the stands at Collegiate events.
“You’re not getting rid of me,” he says with a smile.
After seven years in Henrico County, Cheryl Smith joined the Collegiate family in 1986 and has held forth as a Middle School English teacher for 28 years.
During that time, she has served as an advisor, grade level chair, trusted and compassionate friend, caring colleague, and advocate for her students, all the while maintaining her perspective and delightful outlook on life.
“I’ll miss the daily interaction with my joyful, goofy, unpredictable, and ever-uplifting students,” she said. “And I’ll miss the remarkable esprit de corps among the Middle School faculty.”
In retirement, she plans to read the books piling up on her bedside table, enjoy time with her daughters, their husbands, and her six grandchildren, and travel with her husband Dan.
“And be grateful daily and pay it forward,” she added.
“And keep cheering on the Cougars.”
Sharon Charles has taught Middle School science for 25 years following 17 years in Hanover County and a year each in Ohio and at Virginia Commonwealth University.
As department chair in a subject area that’s constantly evolving, she’s overseen curriculum development and created a classroom environment which provides a foundation in content and skills and fosters her students’ curiosity.
Somehow, amidst her many professional duties, she even found time to coach (hockey, lacrosse, and basketball) and, as in the classroom, draw the best from her young charges.
Now, she’ll enjoy a slower pace, which will include time with her son Tyler, his wife Liz, and their son Jackson.
From the outset, Sharon was taken with the traditions at Collegiate.
“I’ll never forget the first time I saw the Pageant,” she said. “Not a single word was spoken and not a single sound was heard (from the audience) until the end.”
She also understands what makes Collegiate tick.
“The strong sense of community defines us,” she said. “That’s what separates Collegiate from other schools.”
Emily Bradshaw came to Collegiate in 1983 after six years in Louisa and Henrico Counties.
Her 3rd graders and colleagues will remember her for her dedication, diligence, steadfast friendship, and care for each child who walked through her door.
“She’s been a guiding light in the Lower School,” said head of school Keith Evans. “(Her students’) lives were shaped by her compassion and kindness and the strong community that she created.”
In the years ahead, she’ll continue to enjoy her volunteer work both at Collegiate and in the community as well as time well-spent with children and grandchildren.
Stay at Collegiate long enough, and you share joyous moments and draw strength in difficult times.
“Some of my best memories,” she said, “are the support, encouragement, and prayers our family received from the Collegiate family when we were faced with challenges.
“We couldn’t have asked for a more loving community of friends.”
-- Weldon Bradshaw
(Bill Skinner is retiring after 20 years, most of which he has spent as housekeeping supervisor. Please read his testimony in a companion piece on the Collegiate website.)
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All have enjoyed the experience.
All have performed their duties with excellence, perpetuated the culture of caring and mutual support, and made their students and colleagues better.
Even as they pass the torch, all will remain part of the fabric of the school.
Cheryl Rothschild has been the assistant to the head of the Lower School and jack-of-all-trades in the office for 28 years.
Quite often, she’s the first contact – and first impression – for those with questions, concerns, or words of praise. She’s been a problem-solver and calming presence, especially when school life is running at breakneck speed.
Once she signs off in June, she and her husband Jim, an architect who is also retiring, will travel a bit, enjoy a more leisurely pace, and spend time with their son Adam, his wife Allison, and their children Landon and Alexis.
“My best memories of Collegiate,” Cheryl said, “are the wonderful people I’ve worked with.
“I’ll really miss them.”
Ann Staples joined the Collegiate family in 1998 after 27 years in the Henrico County system.
She arrived with a wealth of experience, which she willingly and gracefully shared with her colleagues and 3rd grade students, and quickly made her mark as a trusted friend, advocate, and teammate. Her attention to detail and optimistic outlook are legendary. She has commanded respect with her steady hand, her sense of humor, and her ability to create a warm, safe environment for her students.
All these years later, Ann recalls her very first faculty meeting when Dr. Beverly Sgro, the interim head, shared impressive statistics about faculty and staff retention. She recalls the overwhelming applause when a host of her new colleagues were recognized for their longevity, commitment, and loyalty to the school.
“That was the moment I knew I had come to a special place,” she said. “That feeling has never changed.”
You’d be hard pressed to find a more ardent supporter of Collegiate athletics than the inimitable Roger “Doc” Hailes.
Doc has taught English for 40 years. He was one of the few male teachers in the Girls School and with the change in structure in 1986 made the transition to the Upper School.
He knows Chaucer and Shakespeare and Hemingway as well as any.
He also knows a long lineage of Collegiate students, their parents, and their grandparents and understands full well the culture of the school going back generations.
“I came here under Mac Pitt,” Doc says of the long-time, venerable head of school.
“The best single piece of advice he game me was to look at these students as if they were my own children.”
His best memory from his four decades on North Mooreland?
“Meeting my wife Deborah (who teaches MS Spanish),” he said without hesitation. “We connected in McFall Hall over lunch and got to know one another.
“I’m really lucky.”
In retirement, Doc plans read – he’s into biography after years of teaching fiction – and enjoy his family.
He’ll also be a regular in the stands at Collegiate events.
“You’re not getting rid of me,” he says with a smile.
After seven years in Henrico County, Cheryl Smith joined the Collegiate family in 1986 and has held forth as a Middle School English teacher for 28 years.
During that time, she has served as an advisor, grade level chair, trusted and compassionate friend, caring colleague, and advocate for her students, all the while maintaining her perspective and delightful outlook on life.
“I’ll miss the daily interaction with my joyful, goofy, unpredictable, and ever-uplifting students,” she said. “And I’ll miss the remarkable esprit de corps among the Middle School faculty.”
In retirement, she plans to read the books piling up on her bedside table, enjoy time with her daughters, their husbands, and her six grandchildren, and travel with her husband Dan.
“And be grateful daily and pay it forward,” she added.
“And keep cheering on the Cougars.”
Sharon Charles has taught Middle School science for 25 years following 17 years in Hanover County and a year each in Ohio and at Virginia Commonwealth University.
As department chair in a subject area that’s constantly evolving, she’s overseen curriculum development and created a classroom environment which provides a foundation in content and skills and fosters her students’ curiosity.
Somehow, amidst her many professional duties, she even found time to coach (hockey, lacrosse, and basketball) and, as in the classroom, draw the best from her young charges.
Now, she’ll enjoy a slower pace, which will include time with her son Tyler, his wife Liz, and their son Jackson.
From the outset, Sharon was taken with the traditions at Collegiate.
“I’ll never forget the first time I saw the Pageant,” she said. “Not a single word was spoken and not a single sound was heard (from the audience) until the end.”
She also understands what makes Collegiate tick.
“The strong sense of community defines us,” she said. “That’s what separates Collegiate from other schools.”
Emily Bradshaw came to Collegiate in 1983 after six years in Louisa and Henrico Counties.
Her 3rd graders and colleagues will remember her for her dedication, diligence, steadfast friendship, and care for each child who walked through her door.
“She’s been a guiding light in the Lower School,” said head of school Keith Evans. “(Her students’) lives were shaped by her compassion and kindness and the strong community that she created.”
In the years ahead, she’ll continue to enjoy her volunteer work both at Collegiate and in the community as well as time well-spent with children and grandchildren.
Stay at Collegiate long enough, and you share joyous moments and draw strength in difficult times.
“Some of my best memories,” she said, “are the support, encouragement, and prayers our family received from the Collegiate family when we were faced with challenges.
“We couldn’t have asked for a more loving community of friends.”
-- Weldon Bradshaw
(Bill Skinner is retiring after 20 years, most of which he has spent as housekeeping supervisor. Please read his testimony in a companion piece on the Collegiate website.)
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