Thank you, Mrs. Amy

“I have worked with Miss Amy for several years here at Salem,” said Theatre Teacher Mrs. Sharon Byrd. “I will always remember her walking with a purpose and staying organized and efficient! She is a kind colleague with an open door for students and teachers alike. She always made time to listen and offer guidance…..kind of like her mentor…Yoda.”

Q& A with Mrs. Amy Schuiteboer 

Q: How would you compare Salem when you got here to how it is now?

A: “So we know the kids change every year right, so we get a new batch of kids. Kids are very different today than they were eleven years ago. I don’t know if it’s because of that thing we went through four years ago or what. But probably the biggest change for me is it’s almost a completely new administrative team and that’s a little bit of a struggle for me. Last year, when three administrators left I almost felt like the family RV was pulling away without me. Like they were all giving me the peace sign and I was in the driveway watching it drive away.”

Q: How do you hope to leave Salem? (You can talk more about the wildflower project if you’d like!)

A: “I guess any of us, of course, want to leave things better than when we started. I could not have known eleven years ago what my role at Salem would be or could be. Thinking about retirement and reflecting on my time here: I’ve been here eleven years and I have had so many titles here. A lot of people come here and they’re one thing. So when I was hired, I was hired as a special education teacher. I was that for all of about nine weeks. Then, I was the school improvement specialist and that morphed into me being known as the SOL lady. I was PTSA President for a while because they needed one and I was tapped for it and I’m like, ‘Sure, why not!’ My daughter was in The Academy so I was dance mom for a while. I heard ‘Mom, Mom, Mom!’ in the hallway a lot. I became the yoga lady after a while which was never part of my plan. I did come to Salem originally hoping to be the Academy Coordinator. It took me a long time to get there but here I am – my last three years. I’ve had so many different roles but, yes, I want to leave it a better place. The wildflower garden has become an amazing project, but it’s because of my role as Academy Coordinator that I have found the opportunity for this project so that’s something that I can leave that is kind of a legacy. It’ll hopefully be here for a long time after me. I kind of hope that people miss hearing my heels in the hallway because people will say, ‘Oh! Here she comes!’ or ‘I knew it was you!’ when I come around the corner. Just, silly stuff like that. I don’t know – I just hope I leave it a better place than what it was before.”

Q: What has working as an academy coordinator taught you? Favorite parts? Most challenging parts?

A: “I went back to school to do this. Probably 15 or 16 years ago Eva Melatti was the coordinator who started the academy and I said ‘I want your job one day.’ I got an administrative endorsement to do just this. I never wanted to be an assistant principal; I wanted to do this – and I wanted to do this because I love the arts. I never professed to be an artist like you guys are, but I love the arts and I wanted to advocate for it. The opportunity that it’s given me is the chance to see young people learn about their art, to find their passion, and hone their craft. I have seen children blossom and find their way with their art, and sometimes discover who they truly are and become their true selves while they’re here. I’ve had opportunities to watch incredible performances come alive. I really haven’t done anything to do that other than just stand back and facilitate and make sure the funds get spent the way they need to in order to have the tools you need to do it. What I have given is my energy, I’m tired. I’ve given a whole lot of time and energy, but I’ve gotten way more back than what I’ve given you guys to make this happen. I had really lofty goals in taking this job and my regret is that I haven’t accomplished all of those in these three short years, but what I hope that I have done is let my students and teachers know how much I care and that I absolutely love what you guys do each and every day. I care about you as human beings well beyond who you are as students. Maybe [I’ve] shared something with you that will impact you as you move on in your lives. If there’s something that I haven’t enjoyed it’s the discipline. I do not enjoy having to assign discipline or remove children from the academy because the policy is clear and based on choices that the children made, I then don’t have a choice in what I have to do. That’s the one piece that almost – I don’t regret becoming an administrator – but it kind of makes me question, ‘Is this really how I wanted to go out?’ I loved my previous roles where I felt like I was really making a difference and I’ve honestly had days recently where I question: am I really having the impact that I had hoped to? Working with gifted children – you guys don’t really need me, you know? Like some of the previous populations I’ve worked with. I worked with at-risk children, I’ve worked with students with disabilities, I worked with children that really needed the support and guidance and my gifted children don’t need that stuff from me. So, I’m just kind of here in the background making sure things happen so you guys can do what you need to do. But, again, I’m going to mention Mark Harrison, he has reminded me recently that it’s not about the day-to-day it’s about the body of work. I can be proud of the body of work in my 33 years I have given to young people in Virginia Beach in the various programs that I’ve been able to work with. I’ve got to remember and hold on to that.”

Q: What message do you have for Salem staff and students?

A: “Find your purpose. One of the things I’ve used over the years is ‘move with a purpose, people’ when we’re slowly moving up the hallway. ‘We have somewhere to go and something to do!’ Find your purpose, find what brings you joy, find what makes you happy. Don’t miss out on the life that is happening around you. Think about this moment. Don’t think about before, don’t think about what’s coming, don’t lose today. Find the joy in any given moment, but, know your purpose – don’t lose sight of that. Look to the people who will support you because nobody has to do it alone.”

Q: Anything else to add?

A: “It’s a great day to be a SunDevil.”

Q&A with Dual Enrollment English Teacher, Mrs. Kathleen Trace

Q: How would you describe your experience working with Mrs. Amy?

A: “When I came to Salem 10 years ago Mrs. Amy was serving as Student Improvement Specialist and boy did she run a tight ship. I came from a school where SOL testing was not nearly as organized and well-structured, so it was a treat to have Mrs. Amy running the show.

A few years later, I had the pleasure of having Mrs. Amy’s daughter Tristan in my dual enrollment English class and I got to know Mrs. Amy as a mom. She was so supportive of Tristan and encouraging of both her academics and her arts (dance and spoken word poetry).

As the years progressed, I got to know Mrs. Amy the survivor and the yogi. Many of you may not know that Mrs. Amy battled breast cancer. She underwent a double mastectomy and came out even stronger. While going through all of that she began leading yoga at Salem. As she healed, she helped heal us. Every year for the past five or six years, Mrs. Amy has led my dual students in breathing and yoga as part of our focus on self-care during senior year. I’ve had countless students tell me that she is the person they go to when they are overwhelmed or just need to breathe. 

Finally, just last year, I got to know Mrs. Amy the wife. I had the honor of taking engagement photos of her and her now husband, Tallwood administrator, Tim Pellerin. They are so sweet together and it makes me so happy to see her with her person. 

I know the past few years with COVID, administrative changes, and moving to North Carolina which makes her drive to Salem much longer have not been easy for her. In retirement, I hope that she gets to spend more time doing the things she loves like gardening, yoga, and spending time with friends and family.

Q: What has Mrs. Amy taught you throughout the years?

A: “I wouldn’t say Mrs. Amy taught me this, but she reinforced my commitment to walk with a purpose…and to have good posture! Mrs. Amy showed me that we can be both firm and kind, have high expectations and allow ourselves to fail. It has been a pleasure getting to know Mrs. Amy as a colleague and a friend. She will be missed.”

Q&A with Assistant Principal Mr. Gregory Moxley

Q: How would you describe your experience working with Mrs. Amy?

A: “Working with Mrs. Amy is like a sister, an aunt, and a mom all at the same time. She’s just really special to me. We’ve always gotten along so well and we have very similar outlooks on life and some deep philosophical beliefs we are very aligned on. It’s been good to have her because she’s always kind of someone I can bounce those ideas off, or she can bounce those ideas off with me. When I felt like things were getting really tough, she was always there to be someone, so she’s really special to me.”

Q: What has Mrs. Amy taught you throughout the years?

A: “I think the best thing, to keep it simple here: walk with a purpose. I think that speaks a lot about how you carry yourself in life.”

Q: Is there anything else you want Mrs. Amy to know?

A: “She knows I love her. I wish she wasn’t leaving.”