As the crisp fall air begins to blow in, the RV community is finally getting back into the school year groove. Now that students have returned to school physically, an influx of new staff members have entered the building alongside our seasoned staff of educators. In the early days of October, The Holly Spirit reached out to some of our new staff members and talked to them about their experience in the school thus far.

Mrs. Wells

Mrs. Wells, RV’s new media center secretary, arrived here after the opportunity became available to follow her extraordinary love for books. “I love reading and helping others find that perfect book. I taught public speaking to college and above. I was a substitute/long-term contractor for nine years and did that for the flexible schedule with my children,” says Mrs. Wells. She expressed that the career change has been nice for her, especially due to how kind the students and staff are. Though things are constantly changing due to COVID-19, Mrs. Wells has been loving her time here at RV so far.

Commander Easley

Following RV’s strong JROTC reputation, Commander Easley expressed “[I admire] the professionalism of the staff and administrators; the students are for the most part great young men and women who are a joy to work with.” Easley had 24 years of active duty service and arrived at RV to provide his wisdom regarding what he experienced during it. He desires to be a part of teaching the strong JROTC program that is here. Although adjusting to the newer system and procedures has been a little difficult, Easley dedicates himself to learning and adapting to them to help benefit his students.

Ms. Sandoval

Ms. Sandoval is one of two new guidance counselors here at RV. Ms. Sandoval came to RV both to gain more experience with high school students and to challenge herself by entering a new educational setting. She always wants to support students and be an advocate for them, especially since high school can be a hectic four years. Ms. Sandoval mentioned a challenge so far is the size of the school building; “I am still working on finding my way around the building. RV is a lot bigger from my previous school and although I am becoming more familiar, there are still various classrooms and offices that I do not know the locations of.”  The building’s size (and complex hallways) can be daunting, however, she is dedicated to learning it to ensure students are able to feel supported and motivated.

Mr. Harper

Mr. Harper is a new security guard at RV Prep, maintaining the safety of students both inside and outside of the school. However, Mr. Harper has worked at RV before, as he states that “I have worked with RV in the past as a school resource officer. I enjoy the staff and students at RV; I graduated from RV in 1991 [and] was the Mount Holly Police School Resource Officer (SRO) from 9-2000 to 6-2008. RV has a family and community feel that you can only experience from being here. My two children graduated from RV and they enjoyed their time at RV.” Being a previous Mount Holly police officer, he still wanted to keep students safe and benefit his community. He notes that RV Prep is fun to work at and how the staff and students are always positive. Although the roads are crowded to help with bus and car traffic, Mr. Harper is dedicated to helping staff and students stay safe when arriving or leaving school.

Ms. Cunningham

Ms. Cunningham is one of the many new members to RV’s math team. She is extremely excited to be teaching Algebra 1 and has loved interacting with the students and staff. Ms. Cunningham expressed that she’s wanted to be an educator for most of her life; “I have known since seventh grade I wanted to teach math. Up until that year, it had made no sense to me, and I thought I was just another kid who was not capable of understanding math. It was not until my teacher, Mr. Morgan, explained to me the process of solving an equation. For some reason, he just made it make sense, and every day after that I was confident in my math skills.” She loves her students and fellow staff members, both being super helpful with how RV works. Even as a math teacher, she still learns new things every day, which helps make math both more interesting and almost like “a giant puzzle.” She may have been here for a short time, but she is managing with being a new teacher in a new school very well, especially due to the positive energy and atmosphere here. 

Ms. Choi

Another new addition to RV’s math department, Ms. Choi, explained the comfort she felt immediately joining the community; “The community at RV gave me a sense of comfort and warmth right as I walked into the building. Everyone is so helpful, friendly, and supportive. There is not a moment in RV I feel alone… the staff is amazing and I honestly get to meet a new staff member every day and have a conversation with them. I also can’t forget my students. The students at RV are so fun to be around which makes coming to work worth it.” Inspired by her parents and her AP Calculus teacher, Ms. Choi has an enthusiastic personality and wants her students to feel comfortable in her classroom instead of stressed. She advocates for good mental health and getting to know her students, and while it is a little overwhelming, she is willing to power through it for her students.

Mr. Snyder

Proud RV grad and chemistry teacher, Mr. Snyder, expressed to The Holly Spirit how impactful the RV experience was for him; “As an RV grad, I fell in love with the tight-knit community and spirited culture that we all share here. I wanted to make the same positive impact on my students and share my passion for education, as the teachers at RV did for me. I ultimately decided to pursue teaching when I was a student at RV, and therefore wanted to come back to my alma mater and work at a place I call my second home.” The teachers then and even now motivated him strongly to pursue a career in teaching and he hopes to do the same to his students. He prefers chemistry because of how hands-on it is; it provides students the chance to interact with what they are learning and is generally a different method of teaching than other classes. However, due to COVID-19, teaching hands-on when some students are quarantined makes it difficult to teach, but either way, Mr. Snyder is willing to help his students understand chemistry and inspire them to pursue what they want to do.

Although not all of the new staff members are presented, The Holly Spirit is proud to introduce the new additions to our educational community. Coming into a new high school, especially while COVID-19 is still prominent, and tackling it head-on is not an easy task. Their efforts do not go unnoticed or unappreciated. Welcome to the staff members of the next generation of RV graduates!