New teachers prepare for new school year

Thirty new teachers hired

By Heather Michon
Correspondent

Summer break is over for Fluvanna County Public Schools’ newest teachers.

A total of 30 new educators met school administrators, principals, and county staff at a welcome breakfast at Fluvanna County High School early Tuesday morning (July 25).

This annual event is the start of a multi-day training to help settle them into their new positions. 

It was also the start of their initiation into the “Fluco family.”

“What is a Fluco? You’ll be asked that question a lot now,” said Executive Director Dr. Don Stribling said in his opening remarks. “Everyone has their own definition. I like to think of it as a state of mind.”

“I’m not trying to get all Zen or philosophical with you,” he added. “But I am.”

Revisiting the theme later in his presentation, he defined the Fluco spirit of “persistence, resilience, adaptability, flexibility.” 

The division hired 30 teachers for the new academic year: nine at the high school, seven each at the middle school and Central Elementary, and eight at Carysbrook. As in past years, the group was made up of veteran teachers moving to Fluvanna from other districts and recent college graduates – some of whom had graduated from FCHS themselves just a few years ago.

“If you’re here today because you’re joining Carysbrook, it’s because you went through an interview process and we knew immediately,” said principal Scott Lucas. “We knew before you left that room that you were that puzzle piece.”

The discussion also touched on one of the most critical questions on new teachers’ minds: how not to get stuck behind a school bus on the way to work in the morning.

Transportation Supervisor Valarie Marsh said the best plan was to leave themselves plenty of time. “Because if you’re close to a bus or try to pass a bus,” she warned, “they are going to tell you over the radio.”

Marsh added that they’re always looking for drivers, so if any of them wanted to add a  commercial drivers license to their resume, just let her know. “We have the training at night,” she said, “because your days are just not long enough.”

“So, welcome everybody,” she said. “And let’s have a great year.”