'Once An Educator, Always An Educator'

"Once an educator, always an educator" is a mantra that rings true for retired Spring Cove Elementary teachers Beth Hoover, Nellie Cowher, and Lori Gochnour, all of whom have returned to volunteer at the school in their retirement. The three teachers lend their time to fill a variety of needs several times per week, helping students one-on-one with reading, math, or anything else classroom teachers request.

SCES Principal Adam Macak expressed sincere gratitude for the teachers and their work in their retirement.

"I really value their input and experience," Macak said. "We are so blessed to have them all here. The teachers can learn a lot [from them]... They can learn strategies, ideas, run something by them."

All three of the teachers spent their careers within the district and have a special heart for the community.

Beth Hoover

Beth Hoover began her 35-year teaching career in kindergarten at the former Benson Elementary. After a few years, the new Martinsburg Elementary building was built. She spent some time in second grade before moving to spend the majority of her career in first grade. She retired from Spring Cove Elementary in June 2020.

After a long and rewarding career, retiring during the pandemic was difficult, and she "needed a little bit of closure."

This need was part of what sparked her return to volunteer. So, she returned after retirement to help a colleague, and has continued since.

Hoover's favorite part of teaching is "the day-to-day progress of the kids."

"I just love it," she said.

Hoover recalled a moment recently when she looked around the large room where she and her fellow retired colleagues had gathered to help students.

"It was cool to sit back and reflect [on everything]," she said.

Nellie Cowher

Nellie Cowher also spent her 33-year teaching career in the Spring Cove School District. She began teaching second grade at Roaring Spring Elementary before moving to Spring Cove Elementary.

She, like Hoover, also retired in 2020 during the pandemic.

"It was a hard way to retire," she said, adding that during early virtual learning days, students were not yet set up on Google classroom and teaching involved posting assignments on the website and phone calls with parents.

Now she loves "seeing and working with the kids," she said. This includes her granddaughter, who is in first grade and whom she gets to assist in reading.

"It's a very rewarding profession," Cowher said.

Cowher, who lives in Roaring Spring, wanted to maintain her connection with the community, the school and the kids. Her husband taught at the middle school and assists with football, and their daughter teaches kindergarten.

Lori Gochnour

Lori Gochnour, who graduated from Central High School herself, also spent her career in Spring Cove. She began teaching in third grade before moving to gifted support and eventually to first grade at Martinsburg Elementary. She moved to Spring Cove Elementary after realignment. She worked with Hoover on the first-grade team at SCES and retired at the end of 2021.

She spoke fondly of her time as a teacher and working with the kids, saying, "There's nothing better."

"The thing about first grade is that it just allows you to be a kid again," Gochnour said.

She loved the creative planning involved in early elementary, the dress up, and the fun. She still plays the dragon at special assemblies at the school.

All three of the teachers agree that the small, tight-knit Cove community makes the district special and that they enjoy the opportunity to stay connected with the school in their retirement.

"I always used to tell my students, 'You have two families. One at home and one at school,'" Hoover said, adding that she loves continuing to have the interaction with both the kids and her colleagues.

Gochnour agrees that her favorite thing about Spring Cove is the "sense of community."

"When something happens, everyone comes together to help," she said.

"The staff is really there for the students. It's a caring environment and everyone pitches in," Hoover said, adding that the staff also constantly praises the volunteers for giving of their time and experience.

As they walked through the school hallway, it was clear by the smiles and greetings they received that all three of the teachers were well known and loved by students and staff alike.

"When you retire, you're not done being a teacher," Cowher said.