Romberger, Hayes honored as Marion County teacher, personnel of the year

May 7—FAIRMONT — Some folks go above and beyond for Marion County kids.

Each year, Marion County Schools honors the faculty member and the service person who go the extra mile for the county's students and awards them the prestigious title of Teacher of the Year and Service Personnel of the Year.

Marion County's Teacher of the Year is Charlotte Romberger, an English teacher at East Fairmont Middle School. Romberger was nominated by her principal for her exemplary work in the classroom and her effort to do more than simply teach.

The nomination application includes several questions for the teacher. It asks for an explanation of the teacher's education philosophy, an example of a project or initiative the educator was involved with and how the educator ensures their work "transcends the classroom."

East Fairmont Middle Principal Debra Conover said when it came time for nominations, Romberger's name was on the top of her mind.

"We have very good teachers at EFMS, but Ms. Romberger stood out because every time I've been in her classroom... she's very good at getting more out of the students than they're willing to give, but she's not pushy about it," Conover said. "She's a perfect model of everything she expects of her students."

Since her time at EFMS, Conover couldn't recall other teacher's being recognized as teacher of the year, so she's excited for her staff to be honored for their work.

Throughout the pandemic and the ensuing changes in regulations it brought to the school system, East Fairmont Middle was one of the hardest hit schools, resulting in many quarantines and shutdowns over the last year.

Conover considers this award as a reminder that the sacrifices her teachers made didn't go unnoticed.

"This award shows we have gone above and beyond trying to help students and ensure they get what they need," Conover said. "This is a very high honor for us to represent our county and go to the next level."

Now that Romberger is named county Teacher of the Year, she will represent Marion County in the state competition for West Virginia Teacher of the Year.

"I simply feel honored to receive Teacher of the Year. It was such a surprise, and this is a great way to end the school year," Romberger said. "I'm thankful to be part of such a supportive school community. My coworkers, administrators and students inspire me to be the best teacher that I can be."

Fairmont Senior High Cafeteria Supervisor Mike Hayes is Marion County's Service Personnel of the Year.

Hayes is in charge of making sure FSHS students are fed and energized for the day. Principal Jim Green said his school has a strong history of award-winning service personnel, so he was confident Hayes would be recognized.

"Hayes manages probably one of the busiest cafeterias in the county," Green said. "He's a great guy, he's friendly and he really cares about the kids."

Fairmont Senior provides lunch to its student body, as well as the students at the Barnes Learning Center. Also, his cafeteria is where the county's food trainings are held.

Preparing a school lunch may sound like a mundane task, by Hayes makes sure to do it with a smile so the students know they're well taken care of.

In a job that isn't as public facing as a teacher, it can be hard to earn recognition and often goes without thanks. Green said he's glad the district recognizes service personnel for thei hard work and is proud this year's honoree hails from his school.

"It can depend on the service person, but a lot of the time the public doesn't realize what all they do. When we have school trips, Mike gets the bagged lunches together, it's the little things like that," Green said. "A lot of service personnel don't get recognized and when they are seen it's not a glamorous job, but they work well and take pride in what they do."

Similar to Romberger, Hayes will represent Marion County at the state level to compete for the West Virginia Service Personnel of the Year award.

Marion County School Superintendent Donna Hage will officially recognize and award Romberger and Hayes at the school board meeting on May 16. But since the awardees have been announced, she's excited to recognize two individuals who have gone above and beyond for the students in the county.

"As we look at what we've been through coming off this pandemic and how we've had to engage and support families in new ways, I think it's important to recognize our employees who have done this," Hage said. "I think it's important to recognize these experts among experts as we remind ourselves of the positive and the good that happened over the last few years."

Reach David Kirk at 304-367-2522 or by email at dkirk@timeswv.com.