Mary Hill is looking forward to the next chapter of her life. But parting is a sweet sorrow when looking back on an English teaching career at Riverdale High School that spans more than four decades.
“I don’t think it’s really hit me quite yet,” Mary Hill said, tallying the scores on the very last papers of the year.
Hill, who is retiring, was one of the founding teachers of Riverdale High School – one of two who still remained on staff since the school opened its doors in 1970.
Riverdale Principal Gerald Demming said that not seeing Hill’s face next year will be somewhat surreal.
“She just has this energy that is contagious,” Demming said. “She’s been a mentor to many teachers here, and she just has this motor that doesn’t stop. Not having her here is going to be a huge loss, and we’re just really going to miss her.”
The 1986 Teacher of the Year and International Baccalaureate instructor was last year awarded the district English teachers’ Lifetime Achievement Award.