Long-time Spring Hill Elementary kindergarten teacher Arlene Connolly is retiring after 22 years at the McLean school. Connolly, a native of Manhasset, N.Y., taught in New York before moving with her husband, Joe, to the Washington, D.C. area in 1971.
Connolly has had a major impact on thousands of McLean children, being their first elementary school teacher. Indeed, one of her proudest moments was when a graduating Langley High School commencement speaker thanked her for being such a positive early influence and making a lasting impression.
After raising her family of four—three girls and a boy—Connolly returned to teaching, starting at Spring Hill in 1981. It was former Spring Hill Principal Betsy Rice who recruited Arlene to teach kindergarten. According to Connolly: “Betsy said, ‘you really should come back to teaching’ and she talked me into it and I never looked back!”
Betsy recalls, “I like to joke that Arlene came into my office looking for a kindergarten aide job and walked out with a teacher’s job; and she has spent the last 22 years proving that she was a great hire. Arlene brings joy into her classroom and she loves children. Arlene makes learning fun, such that the students don’t even know learning is happening. She is a fantastic person.”
Early on in her tenure, Connolly and fellow kindergarten teacher Nancy Stansberry started the Spring Hill tradition of the annual “Kindergarten Extravaganza.” The show involved all students with fun and witty musical performances and skits set to the school calendar and holidays. It became a popular and memorable staple of the Spring Hill student experience.
“Thousands of parents have tapes of the Spring Hill Kindergarten Extravaganza and the six graders would sing along to the performances—so it was important that Arlene and Nancy not change the show,” Betsy Rice said.
Current Spring Hill principal, Roger Vanderhye, said, “It is difficult to describe completely the impact Arlene Connolly has had on Spring Hill Elementary School during her tenure here. Arlene is an outstanding educator and a consummate professional. Besides her incredible teaching abilities, she also educates young children, mostly by example, to be ethical, respectful, helpful and hard working.
“Arlene has always used impeccable judgment in her interactions with all school stakeholders and her positions of responsibility as team leader, head mentor, representative from our school to the superintendent’s advisory committee, and other leadership positions, has allowed Arlene to transcend her job of teacher to one of master educator. She will be sorely missed by all who know her both professionally and personally,” he said.